OLEAN, N.Y. — For the third time since the beginning of the pandemic, philanthropic leaders in Cattaraugus County helped facilitate the distribution of microgrants from the WNY COVID-19 Community Fund Response Fund to organizations working on the front lines to provide relief to those most impacted by the ongoing pandemic, culminating in 36 grants totaling $45,000.

The Western New York COVID-19 Community Response Fund was created by the philanthropic community to support nonprofits addressing immediate needs in response to the COVID-19 crisis in the eight counties of Western New York.

In the prior rounds of grantmaking, the WNY Fund’s microgrant program issued $34,000 in relief funding to the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation, which acted as the fiscal agent to distribute grants to organizations providing needed services to vulnerable and impacted populations.

Representatives from the Cattaraugus County Department of Health, Cattaraugus Community Action, Healthy Community Alliance, United Way of Cattaraugus County and Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation worked to identify grant recipients in all three phases of funding.

Recipients of the third round of microgrants include:

· Canticle Farm Inc.- $1,200 for agency financial support

· Cattaraugus County Department of Aging (Meals on Wheels of Cattaraugus County) — $3,000 for food, PPE (personal protective equipment) and hygiene supplies

· Genesis House of Olean, Inc. — $1,000 for PPE, hygiene supplies, transition supplies

· Limestone Food Pantry — $600 for food and hygiene supplies

· Olean First Baptist Church — $600 to We Are His Hands program for assistance with purchasing food and hygiene supplies, utilities assistance

· Olean Food Pantry — $3,500 for food and hygiene supplies

· Portville Community Food Pantry — $800 for food and hygiene supplies

· Salvation Army — $1,500 for food and hygiene supplies, rent/utilities assistance and food delivery

· Seneca Nation Food Pantry — $1,600 for food and hygiene supplies

· St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church Pet Food Pantry — $1,400 for pet food and supplies

· St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store — $1,000 for food and utilities assistance

· Warming House — $1,800 for food and hygiene supplies

The WNY COVID-19 Community Response Fund has worked with CRCF and other community agencies to coordinate over $200,000 in grants to nonprofits in Cattaraugus County since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.