The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation awarded a $50,000 grant to the Genesee Chamber Foundation to provide meals to volunteers and health care workers staffing Genesee County Health Department COVID-19 vaccine sites.
The grant provides funding for the Genesee Chamber Foundation, a supporting organization of the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce, to purchase meals from Flint area restaurants and distribute them to the vaccine sites.
“It’s so wonderful to see the Flint community coming together during this challenging time,” said Dr. Pamela Hackert, medical health officer for Genesee County.
“That includes our volunteers, our health care workers and everyone who’s supporting them,” Hackert added.
Mott funding will provide approximately 3,300 total meals to an average of 75 volunteers per day. Meal distribution began today and will continue Tuesdays through Fridays. Other organizations are covering meals on Saturdays.
“These volunteers and health care workers are heroes in the battle against COVID-19,” said Ridgway White, Mott Foundation president and CEO.
“They’re doing everything they can to help keep other people safe and healthy,” White added. “We hope this grant will make their shifts a little more comfortable and remind them that the community is grateful for their commitment.”
In addition to providing meals for volunteers and health care workers, the grant will allow the Genesee Chamber Foundation to work with Flint area restaurants, helping to boost their business during this period of severe economic stress.
“Restaurants have been devastated by the pandemic,” said Chamber CEO Tim Herman. “Enlisting their help to prepare meals for the vaccine clinics’ volunteers is a win-win opportunity. The grant from the Mott Foundation will provide some financial relief for these businesses as they continue to help those who are doing so much to help us all.”
