BY KAREN BOSSICK

Want to help those unduly affected by the coronavirus pandemic in the Wood River Valley?

Spur Community Foundation, a 501©(3) charitable organization founded in 2016, has opened a fund to receive charitable donations that will be directed towards urgent needs in the community.

The Community Response Fund will distribute grants to local organizations providing services for those impacted by the virus.  Spur has already received $200,000 worth of pledges for the fund.

Spur sought input from local nonprofits before announcing the fund, said Sally Gillespie, Spur’s executive director.

The fund has the flexibility to deploy funds to the area of greatest need, eliminating the need for donors to try to figure out where their dollars are most needed.

People can contribute by check, wire, credit card or with gifts of securities. To learn how, visit www.SpurFoundation.org.

“We wanted to move quickly to create a fund,” said Tim Wolff, Spur’s board president. As a community foundation, we are set up to do this effectively.”

While a quick response is of the essence in some cases, the impacts of the pandemic will also be long-term, Wolff added.

“Being able to pool charitable gifts to support our community in both ways is essential,” he said.

Wolff said that a hundred percent of donor contributions will go to meet needs. Spur’s board and advisors pay for operational costs and do not assess administrative fees on gifts to its funds.

Spur was created to inspire effective philanthropy in the Wood River Valley by expanding resources available to the nonprofit sector and by encouraging excellence and accountability among nonprofits and helping donors with their giving.

It has distributed $1.3 million to local nonprofits.

Want to know more? Call Sally Gillespie at 208-450-2607 or 208-720-9593. Or, email her at Sally@SpurFoundation.org or write P.O. Box 6184, Ketchum ID 83340.