DUNDALK, Md. — $15.7 million can go a long way.
In this case, some of it going to feed families impacted by the Key Bridge collapse.
"That is the most we've raised for any particular fund that we've ever created," Becky Eisen, associate vice president of marketing and public affairs for the Baltimore Community Foundation, said.
The foundation set up the Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong within 48 hours of the disaster. After supporting workers who temporarily lost their jobs at the Port of Baltimore, now the organization is giving out grants to nonprofits that are seeing an increased need - from people who relied on the bridge to get to work, for example, and are now paying more for gas.
"That bridge went down and people were in crisis. It wasn't an immediate after effect. I think people had some savings, and they had just gotten paid; it was the end of the month. So it took a while for that economic impact to set in," Mitchell Posner, executive director of the Community Assistance Network (CAN) told WMAR-2 News.
CAN is one of the grant recipients. More than $300,000 will help the nonprofit provide direct service to impacted neighbors on the Baltimore County side of the bridge.
“We’re buying food. We’re making supplemental care packages. The amount of food we’re giving out is a enough for a family of four for one week - breakfast lunch and dinner and two snacks," Carla Schroyer, director of community choice pantry services at CAN, said.
"We also gave grants to the Baltimore Museum of Industry to memorialize what has happened and particularly to collect the stories of people who were impacted by this. We gave a grant to Pro Bono Counseling, which connects people with low or no-cost mental health services. And then we gave a grant to this lovely little organization called Leftover Love that does food rescue," Eisen said.
None of these grants would be possible without the hundreds of donations - big ones from corporations, and smaller ones from individuals.
"That's Baltimore. We're Baltimore strong. People respond to need in ways I haven't seen in other communities. Baltimore's a special place," Posner said.
"We all need to come together to help each other so when you can be a part of that, and make a meaningful impact, it's touching," Schroyer said.
Another round of grants will be announced later this month. Nonprofits can still apply here.
