The Bayou Community Foundation (BCF) awarded grants totaling $57,900 to nonprofit organizations serving residents in Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes and Grand Isle today from its Bayou Recovery Fund for Hurricane Zeta Relief.
The grants fund emergency distributions of hot meals and nonperishable food, clothing, roof tarps and building materials, and economic recovery programs to help local residents most impacted by Hurricane Zeta’s landfall on October 28. In total this year, the Foundation has funded 117 grants valued at $882,000 for local nonprofit programs that fill critical needs in our community.
“Bayou Community Foundation is pleased serve as the philanthropic ‘bucket’ for our community, providing an effective way for individuals, families and corporate donors to help local victims of Hurricane Zeta. All contributions we have received fund these emergency grants to local nonprofits that are providing critical relief and rebuilding services,” said Bayou Community Foundation President Henry Lafont during the virtual grants ceremony.
“This is the fifth grants program for BCF during this challenging year, an amazing testament to the work of our community foundation to create a compassionate and sustainable Bayou Region,” Lafont said.
On October 28, Hurricane Zeta came ashore at Cocodrie, causing widespread damage and power outages across southern Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes. Communities like Grand Isle, Leeville and Golden Meadow were hit especially hard by the high winds and storm surge. One day later, Bayou Community Foundation activated the Bayou Recovery Fund for Hurricane Zeta Relief to begin accepting contributions from donors who wanted to help storm victims with recovery and rebuilding, and to open an emergency grants program for local nonprofits providing relief services. Corporate supporters of the fund include BHP and Entergy Louisiana.
“2020 has been an incredibly challenging year with a global pandemic, economic crisis, and the most active hurricane season on record. South Louisiana has experienced significant impacts from all three events, but these communities have an incredible resilient spirit and it is inspiring to see people on the ground supporting each other. We hope that our contribution and partnership with the Bayou Community Foundation will help enable the important work of local organizations for our neighbors,” said Selby Bush, Head of Corporate Affairs for BHP.
In addition to the $57,900 in Hurricane Zeta relief grants directly funded by BCF, funding partners Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation and the Al Copeland Foundation have awarded $23,000 in grants to five local nonprofits through BCF’s Hurricane Zeta Grants Program. This brings the total funding for local hurricane relief grants to $80,900.
BCF Hurricane Zeta Relief Grants