Montecito residents have relaunched the 93108Fund to support hourly wage earners who have lost their jobs or hours because of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.
The fund was initially launched in the aftermath of the 2018 Thomas Fire and debris flow. At the time, the 501(c)3 fund provided cash grants to about 950 people and raised more than $400,000.
In 2019, the fund supported the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade and the ring net project, with a matching grant of $70,000, according to Ron Blitzer, a co-founder of the fund.
The fund had $45,000 when it recently relaunched, and donations are being accepted for people who live in the 93108 ZIP code. Organizers of the 93108Fund also are asking communities outside of the 93108 ZIP code to get in touch with them, and they will provide people with templates and a process to do the same in their communities.
The fund will issue debit cards with cash value to hourly wage earners, according to organizers.
Fundraising kicked off with a $15,000 matching grant from the Kirby Jones Foundation.
The group believes that there are 1,200 hourly wage earners who work in Montecito and are unable to work because of the shelter-in-place order. The fund will distribute the debit cards to those who qualify through an employer or a designated pickup location.
“We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has made life difficult for many of the hourly workers in our community,” the organization states on its website. “We want to show our support to this valued part of our community’s fabric.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.