By Lucy Brook, Fulcrum Community Resources
Fulcrum Community Resources, a non-profit organization registered with the state of Oregon, has partnered with the Manzanita Visitors Center to create a North Tillamook County Business Relief campaign. The purpose is to raise funds to help our struggling local small businesses and residents who are self-employed. All business applicants in Manzanita, Nehalem or Wheeler, and surrounding North Tillamook County, are eligible.
We started this effort in mid-April. We have met once a week since 4/25 via zoom to distribute funds we have received. To-date (5/22) we have distributed approximately $40,000 to 40 north Tillamook County businesses, 25 of which have store fronts in our three-town area. This represents 29% of the total ask (through a simple application form). The $40,000 is comprised of individual donations from $20 to $1200 (economic relief amount) to $5000. Our hearts are warmed by this outpouring of caring and generosity to keep our local businesses afloat.
What we have distributed so far has been helpful, and very gratefully received, but it still isn’t enough! It falls far short of guaranteeing that local businesses will be able to re-open. Now donations are dwindling and applications for relief are still coming in.
We have applied for some grants and hope more funds come in that way. We do not know how much, if anything, we will receive from these sources.
As a member of the committee overseeing our campaign, I am writing this plea for further generous donations.
There are three ways to donate to us for business relief:
1) Go to Columbia Bank and make a deposit to our account, noting that it is for North County Business Relief.
2) Mail a check to us at PO Box 136, Nehalem OR 97131, with “business relief” in the memo line.
3) Make a Paypal donation through the website of the Manzanita Visitors Center, http://exploremanzanita.com/donate/
Thank you all for past, present and future donations.
Together we can get past this restrictive time and maintain the viability of our three small towns.
