BY KAREN BOSSICK

Blaine County Charitable Fund is teaming up with the Sawtooth Brewery at the brewery’s Summer Concert Series on Thursday, Aug. 19.

The free concert staring Olivia and the Sun Dogs will start at 6 p.m. Thursday at Hop Porter Park in Hailey. The BCCF’s board and staff will be on hand to answer questions starting at 5 p.m.

The Blaine County Charitable Fund was established in response to the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order issued in March 2020.

Since April 2020 the Blaine County Charitable Fund has awarded 242 unique households with nearly $400,000 in assistance for paying rent, utility bills, medical needs, car repairs and more. The generosity of hundreds of individuals, dozens of foundations and grantors and local county government allowed the Foundation to keep local residents in their homes and stable when crises threated that, said Mary Fauth, the foundation’s executive director.

“Starting an effort to bring the generosity of our community together with our neighbors that were most vulnerable to suffering financially during the pandemic was an inspiring endeavor,” said Fauth. “With the help of partners in the community, we told so many in crisis to put their needs to us and trust that the community would respond. And they did!”

Fauth said the goal of the fund was not only to address needs during the pandemic but to be a source of help in future crises.

“When over half our community already don’t make ends meet on a regular basis, a single unanticipated event can cause financial hardship that can last for many years,” she said.

While President Biden recently reinstated an eviction moratorium until Oct. 31 for areas like Blaine County that have substantial COVID spread, the threat of homelessness is real for many, even with that moratorium, said Fauth.

“Many of our applicants are afraid of communicating with their landlords that they may be struggling for fear of losing their housing in a high demand market,” she said. “And with or without a moratorium, past rent will eventually come due.”

To learn more, visit https://www.blainecf.org/