In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, our local charitable community is deeply impacted. Many are on the frontlines serving critical needs and will continue to see an increased demand on their services. Others have had to cancel events, cease ticket sales or close their doors entirely.
The COVID-19 Urgent Charity Needs page is a place for local registered charities and not-for-profits to share current and emerging needs with people who want to help. Calgary Foundation will use this list as a starting point to see which urgent needs meet the criteria for Pandemic Recovery Program grants.
PLEASE NOTE: Should you choose to make a gift to a non-profit or community group that is not a registered charity, you will not be eligible to receive a charitable donation tax receipt.
Bragg Creek Community Association
Requesting $50,000
We serve these populations:
- Aging Population (Seniors)
- Children and Youth
- Immigrant Newcomers
we need help with:
- Support to vulnerable populations
- Event Cancellations
- Operating Dollars
March 16th the Bragg Creek Community Centre made the decision to close its doors to the public in response to COVID-19, one day prior to the mandatory closure of all Community Centre’s across Alberta, leaving a void in our community’s day-to-day life.
Although we are not running our regular programs and have had to cancel upcoming events, we continue to be the hub of our community. The Bragg Creek Community Centre is actively collecting food stuffs and supplies for the Bragg Creek Food Bank operated from our facility. We are a resource for additional supports to our rural community members and strive to keep our community connected and engaged even in this time of necessary physical distancing.
We are also preparing for when the Centre does re-open, it will play a major role in our community’s recovery offering respite from the wake of this pandemic.
The Bragg Creek Community Centre has been struggling to stay afloat since suffering a flood in the facility in 2016 that caused major damage not covered by insurance. The impact of cancelling programming, events and rentals for the foreseeable future is devastating.
Due to COVID-19 to date we have had to postpone or have cancelled:
• Annual major fundraiser, an estimated loss of $30,000 from this initiative alone
• 2 large event rentals
• 7 recurring revenue generating rentals
• All community programming
We have also lost our casino date which we rely heavily on.
If the pandemic continues into the summer months we are in jeopardy of also canceling:
• 8 weeks of Summer Camp programming
• Additional revenue generating rentals
• 2 additional fundraising events
• Annual community festival – Bragg Creek Days
Donations will directly contribute to our operating costs to ensure the Bragg Creek Centre is available to the community after this time of physical distancing.
Thank you for your support in this time of uncertainty.
Brenda Strafford Society for the prevention of family violence
Requesting $50,000
We serve these populations:
- Children and Youth
- Immigrant Newcomers
- Indigenous Communities
we need help with:
- Increased demand on service
- Support to vulnerable populations
- Individuals/families fleeing domestic violence
At the Brenda Strafford Centre, we continue to operate during the COVID-19 emergency to provide hundreds of families that experience family violence with essential services such as safe housing, counseling, recreational and educational programs. As well as first necessity items such as food, clothing, personal hygiene products, among others.
All financial support received will be utilized to provide in our COVID-19 Emergency Response Strategy.
Brown Bagging for Calgary's Street Kids Society
Requesting $100,000
We serve these populations:
- Children and Youth
we need help with:
- Support to vulnerable populations
- Operating Dollars
In the midst of the uncertainty ahead, one thing is certain. Kids in our city still need access to free lunch programs. Kids who face food insecurity in the best of times will be the accidental victims of this pandemic. Those who are vulnerable will feel the impacts the most.
With the cancellation of classes across our city, kids who access lunch through their school no longer have this access. Many parents who need to work just to make ends meet are now forced to stay home, restricting their already limited resources.
Almost 5,000 kids relied daily on BB4CK lunches. Without school, lunches vanish for these kids. For many, these lunches are the only nutrition they get in a day.
To adapt to changing needs, we have temporarily closed our kitchen operations. We have instead created a Response Fund that will allow us to offer grocery gift card funding directly to families we already serve, as a short-term solution. BB4CK is committed to ensuring parents have access to grocery gift cards that can be used to purchase food for home. We will make sure that, no matter what, kids who rely on a BB4CK lunch have access to food during the day, and that their parents have the resources necessary to provide this food. Each family we already support will be offered free gift cards to get them through the next few weeks, or months. While grocery gift card funding is a viable option to ensure kids are still fed, this change in program delivery will substantially increase food costs for BB4CK for the foreseeable future. We are also currently without our most valuable resource – the army of 600+ volunteers who helped to feed kids each week – and are relying more heavily on paid staff time to continue to feed kids.
Your support will ensure we have the resources necessary to mobilize and adapt quickly to meet the unprecedented demands of the moment. Our deepest thanks for your generosity and commitment to ensuring kids will have access to the food they need in the coming weeks. We couldn’t do it without you.
Calgary & Area Child Advocacy Centre
Requesting $200,000
We serve these populations:
- Children and Youth
- Indigenous Communities
we need help with:
- Increased demand on service
- Support to vulnerable populations
- Individuals/families fleeing domestic violence
Last year, the CCAC provided support to 1,500 children who experienced the most complex and severe cases of physical and sexual abuse. With COVID 19, we expect this to compound due to school closures, isolation and increased stress placed on families. The work of the Calgary & Area Child Advocacy Centre continues. Without traditional fundraising revenue of nearly $1 million, we will struggle to maintain our existing services and respond to increasing demand. Please help keep kids safe.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Tracy Neumann, Director, Fund Development & Community Engagement
403-710-7098or [email protected]
Calgary Animated Objects Society
Requesting $90,000
We serve these populations:
- Children and Youth
we need help with:
- Event Cancellations
DOLLAR VALUE OF NEED: $90,000
CAOS is dedicated to the art of mask, puppetry, and animated objects. We work in schools, we present live performances, and we create multi-disciplinary art works that engage the public. We are losing $90,000 in revenue between now and the end of May, 2020. The revenue was from one school residency, one performance event, a design contract, and our AGLC casino fundraiser, which have all been cancelled. The $65,000 projected from the Casino supports our operations; it’s loss will seriously jeopardize our ability to stay open. The $25,000 in revenue from cancelled programming impacts our artists. Programs are run at an at-cost basis, where earned revenue pays the artists who deliver the programs. The artists, who are contractors, are heavily impacted by these and many other cancellations. Donations will help us support our artists. As society moves to an online presence, we will contract our artists to create who create work to enliven and enrich lives as we go into challenging times. Donations help create and share work that is a reflection and response to these historic events as they unfold.
Calgary Association of the Deaf
Requesting 25,000
We serve these populations:
- Aging Population (Seniors)
- Children and Youth
- Homeless
we need help with:
- Increased demand on service
- Support to vulnerable populations
- Other
The Calgary Association of the Deaf (CAD) is a non-profit organization. CAD is working to protect and promote the rights, needs and concerns of Deaf Calgarians while endeavoring to improve the quality of life for Deaf people in general. There is an estimated 36,000 Deaf individuals in Alberta which includes children, adults and seniors, 50% of that population is from Southern Alberta. The Calgary Association of the Deaf is currently serving annually to support them.
The CAD recently held its grand opening of their new office facility on March 7th, we are excited to hold social events, workshop meetings, ASL Training, and have a safe place for members and the Deaf community to come to during times like this. However, with the current COVID-19 pandemic, CAD has closed its office to support the efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 using government recommended self-isolation and social distancing.
We understand everyone is impacted by the COVID-19, but some impacts are greater for vulnerable groups. For Deaf and Hard of Hearing people, there are additional layers of impact and anxiety that most people may not be aware or experience that puts our Deaf community at greater disadvantage.
Our Deaf Community does not have full access to communication provided by news media in American Sign Language (ASL). Closed Captioning is not enough when English or French is not the primary language for the Deaf Community. Therefore, by the time they receive the information in ASL, often they are behind the rest of the communities in preparation for safety protocols, self-isolation, accessing and purchasing food and supplies, etc.
Economic challenges have always been a reality for our Deaf community, but now more than ever, the impact is severe. Many Deaf individuals and families are experiencing financial hardship from layoffs, they previously lived pay cheque to pay cheque and through utilization of government subsidies. With schools closed, families relying on school meal programs for their kids to have breakfast or lunch are now going without. In addition, individuals losing health benefits because of mass layoffs impacts the Deaf Community in a very heightened way.
What we are doing:
The Calgary Association of the Deaf created the COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund. We have 34 volunteers to support the Deaf community throughout Southern Alberta including Deaf seniors, Deaf Blind and Deaf with multiple disabilities.
• Our volunteers are working very hard to serve and work closely with health professionals all over Southern Alberta to provide Sign Language interpreted updates to the Deaf communities and Deaf seniors.
• Delivering food and supplies to the Deaf community while distributing flyer notifications of all the current updates on COVID-19 in effort to keep them informed.
• Answering thousands of requests by video phones, chat, paper notification flyers, and emails to connect people with disaster, food and supplies, housing and health care resources and much more.
What support we need:
We need support more than ever! We are running low on funds for Sign Language interpreters to produce accessible videos and transcripts to send out to our Deaf community to keep up with the media updates on COVID-19. We require funds to continue providing food, supplies, and medication to those in need. We also require mobile devices and other forms of electronic technology, so our Deaf community has access to receive updates on COVID-19, access to communicate with our volunteers should they require support, and access for virtual socialization.
Calgary Association of the Deaf is committed to standing with our resilient Deaf communities and supporting those impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. We know that together, we will overcome this pandemic by making sure the most vulnerable among us are protected.
Please help us to continue to support the Deaf communities in Calgary and Southern Alberta by donating to our Go Fund Me account.
To donate mobile devices and technologies, please email [email protected]
To donate and/or learn more about Calgary Association of the Deaf, please visit our website www.cgyad.com
To donate funds to Calgary Association of the Deaf, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/covid19-response-and-recovery-fund
Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS)
Requesting $60,000
We serve these populations:
- Aging Population (Seniors)
- Children and Youth
- Immigrant Newcomers
we need help with:
- Support to vulnerable populations
- Mental health supports
- Individuals/families fleeing domestic violence
As a Settlement agency with the primary responsibility for refugee resettlement in Calgary, CCIS is implementing a Coordinated Response Plan for the 2,400 newcomer clients that we consider to be the most vulnerable. These will be mostly refugees, and/or newcomers that have arrived within the last 24 months with a high degree of complex barriers, some of which include: trauma, exposure to family violence, barriers due to language and/or culture, food security, financial security, disabilities, mental health, and complex health needs. CCIS has developed 5 Response teams with a coordinated Intake Process that is open for referral. The Response Teams will be responsible for: determining relevant resources, identification of partners, implementation of response, and administrative support and follow up. In anticipating the needs of vulnerable individuals, and to best support Response Team, CCIS is requesting financial support that will go towards the following: direct emergency loans for clients, medication, food security (groceries +) supplies to keep our teams safe, 3 month salary support for individuals supporting the implementation response – interpretation, translation, logistics deliveries, liaisons, etc.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Amanda Koyama, Director of Strategic Engagement
403.978.2972or [email protected]
Calgary Cerebral Palsy Association
Requesting $50,000
We serve these populations:
- Children and Youth
- Immigrant Newcomers
we need help with:
- Increased demand on service
- Support to vulnerable populations
- Mental health supports
We’ve been forced to cancel events and significant fundraisers. Our programs and services are crucial, as we are supporting the most vulnerable – our children. We need operational dollars to support our adapted bike program, baby group and summer camps when we are able to regroup. Funds received will go to supporting kids and their families living with cerebral palsy/neuromotor disabilities with unexpected costs, medical equipment, counselling and mental health support.
Calgary Counselling Centre
Requesting $100,000
We serve these populations:
- Aging Population (Seniors)
- Children and Youth
- Indigenous Communities
we need help with:
- Increased demand on service
- Support to vulnerable populations
- Mental health supports
The COVID-19 virus and the efforts to minimize its spread, has caused many changes to our daily lives and has brought a great deal of uncertainty to our community. We’ve all been encouraged to distance ourselves from others and spend as much time as we can at home. For many, this can cause us to feel very lonely and isolated. A deliberate effort should be made to alleviate those feelings and maintain our connections with the people we care about and our community. Physical isolation doesn’t have to mean emotional isolation.
In times like these we remain committed to providing professional counselling for all who need it with no wait list or financial barriers. To safeguard the well-being of our clients and staff, all counselling sessions will now take place over the phone or online. Mental health support will be needed now more than ever as people are feeling alone, isolated, and anxious.
With your support we can help meet the growing need for counselling services to those who are feeling overwhelmed, anxious and financial stress, in these uncertain times get the help they need.
Calgary Dream Centre
Requesting $50000-$100000
We serve these populations:
- Homeless
- Women
we need help with:
- Support to vulnerable populations
- Event Cancellations
- Operating Dollars
The Calgary Dream Centre serves Calgary’s most vulnerable sector, men and women that are struggling with substance abuse and addictions. We are a sober program, we take people through addiction into recovery. This includes a safe place to live, healthy meals, group therapy, addiction recovery meetings and dialectical behaviour therapy. With COVID-19 we have had to temporarily close our volunteer program, postpone our fund raising events and shut down our facility rentals and our café. All of this has created a loss of over $100 000 with the potential of costing us more should the mandated rules progress into the summer. We would appreciate funding to carry us through the loss of our events as well as our dried up revenue streams from rentals and social enterprises.
Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre Society
Requesting $168,000
We serve these populations:
- Aging Population (Seniors)
- Homeless
- Immigrant Newcomers
we need help with:
- Increased demand on service
- Support to vulnerable populations
- Operating Dollars
DOLLAR VALUE OF NEED: $168,000
Due to COVID-19, the Calgary Drop-In Centre is seeking support so we can continue providing 2,000+ daily meals and snacks to Calgary’s most vulnerable people. Since the pandemic was announced, we have seen an increase of 100-150 individuals at each meal. We will soon have three additional shelter spaces in the city to run and operate, which is an addition to our main emergency shelter. Not only do we need to continue to support and feed the most vulnerable populations who rely on us, but due to the uncertainty of this pandemic, we require one month’s supply of food and supplies at all times. This one month’s supply protects us in case our suppliers encounter any issues in regards to supply chain management. To be able to store, prepare and serve 2,000+ meals per day, we estimate that this will cost us approximately $168,000. This budget includes one month of food and supplies for four facilities, the purchase of a 3-tonne refer truck, and rental fees for a cold storage trailer and c-cans to store frozen foods and dry goods. Any financial support that the Calgary Foundation and their generous funders are able to provide will be greatly appreciated by the DI and the Calgarians we serve.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Colleen Donahue, Senior Manager, Fund Development
403-617-2217or [email protected]
Calgary Family Therapy Centre
Requesting $10,000-$20,000
We serve these populations:
- Children and Youth
- Immigrant Newcomers
- LGBTQ2S+
we need help with:
- Increased demand on service
- Mental health supports
- Operating Dollars
Calgary Family Therapy Centre provides family therapy to families experiencing psychological, behavioural, and emotional problems with a child 18 years or under. he program has operated in a fairly low tech and the COVID-19 crisis has had a great impact on the staff and the clients we serve. We are now offering our clients service via telephone and online meetings, giving comfort and helping to cope with the added stress of the current situation. Additional costs of adding technology is a financial burden on the program which is affecting our ability to provide counseling. This investment in upgraded technology will have an immediate as well as long-term benefit to the community. We are in need of new portable computer equipment with video & audio capability as well as the cost of various online service providers.