Foundation raising funds for Irene victims

PJ staff report | August 30, 2011

0 comments

RALEIGH, N.C. - The North Carolina Community Foundation is raising money to assist the victims in the eastern part of the state who were hit by Hurricane Irene in late August.

The Raleigh-based funder is reactivating its Disaster Relief Fund, which was launched in response to Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and reopened again in the wake of the tornadoes that ripped through the state last April.

Since its inception, the fund has been activated three times for large-scale efforts and several additional times for local relief efforts.

During the last 12 years, the fund has raised a total of about $278,000, all of which has been or will be distributed to victims of disasters.

Most recently, the foundation allocated $105,000 from the fund to the victims of the April tornadoes.

"The total effects of this devastating storm will take some time to assess, but we already know that damage and destruction are widespread," says Jennifer Tolle Whiteside, president of the foundation, says in a statement.

Donations to the Disaster Relief Fund are tax-deductible and the foundation does not withhold any portion of contributions for administrative or operational expenses.

Donations by credit card can be made on the foundation's website, or by downloading, completing and returning a contribution form.

Checks, designated to "Hurricane Irene Victims," can be mailed to the North Carolina Community Foundation at 4601 Six Forks Road, Suite 524, Raleigh, N.C., 27609.

The foundation manages more than 1,000 funds, totaling more than $145 million in assets and provides support in 66 counties across the state through its 60 affiliate foundations.

• Email this page