Fundraising blitz for Lexington-area nonprofits is now live. Here’s how to give
Before the federal government shut off access to SNAP benefits on Nov. 1, Nathaniel Mission saw a surge in demand.
The Versailles Road nonprofit has a wait list for some of its feeding and pantry programs, the Rev. Daniel Baer, the executive director of Nathaniel Mission, told the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council during a November council work session meeting.
“We continue to see rising need; numerous families and individuals facing food insecurity,” Baer said. “We have more individuals seeking services” than what Nathaniel Mission can provide.
Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits, which help low-income people pay for groceries, have since been restored after the federal government finally reopened in November after the longest shutdown in history. The council has also agreed to give additional money to Nathaniel Mission and other Lexington feeding programs.
Yet, the demand for services and food is still acute, many nonprofit officials have said. As demand has increased, some nonprofits have also been hit hard by federal funding cuts.
On Tuesday, the Blue Grass Foundation launched its annual fundraising campaign, rebranded Bluegrass Gives, formerly known as the Good Giving Challenge. The online fundraising effort will help 234 local organizations raise funds by using more than $800,000 in matching donations from multiple foundations.
That means at certain times, every $1 donated with be matched with a $1 donation from a foundation.
Since the Blue Grass Foundation has launched the city-wide fundraising initiative in 2011, it has raised more than $26 million for local nonprofits.
The one-day event goes from 6 a.m. to midnight Tuesday. As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, the online fundraising effort had raised more than $750,000 for 214 organizations.
Go to bggives.org to find a full list of participating organizations.
