Ways to donate:

2. Facebook Fundraiser - https://www.facebook.com/donate/310620173245305/

3. PayPal - Donate with your credit card, debit card or PayPal account
       

         

          

4. Company portals - If you work for an employer with matching grants, please search Care & Share using EIN  36-3708966. In the comments field mention COVID-19 USA Support. If Benevity is your employer's service provider, then use the project "COVID-19 USA Support Fundraiser for Food banks, Homeless, Health Workers and Low Income".

Status of Funds Raised

We are driving this fundraiser to offer support for different sections of the society requiring help. The four areas that we intend to support are: Food banks, Homeless, Health workers and Low income families

1. Goal – Fund 80,000 meals in the Seattle and Chicago area
Target - $21,000
Care & Share match - $10,500

COVID-19 has impacted the life of many workers, and that in turn has increased the stress on food banks across United States. Food insecurity is expected to strain even more food banks in the coming weeks. Did you know that you can provide a meal for less than 25 cents? Or that $20 can feed a kid for a whole month? We are supporting food banks in two regions during this crisis time – Seattle and Chicago. In Seattle, we will be supporting 50,000 meals at the cost of 22cents/meal for a total of $11,000 through Northwest Harvest:https://www.northwestharvest.org/. In the Chicago area, we will partner with The Greater Chicago Food Depository (https://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/) to deliver 30,000 meals at the cost of 33cents/meal, for a total of $10,000. To enhance the aid to these food banks, Care & Share will match dollar for dollar every contribution up to a maximum of $10,500.

2. Goal – Provide shelter for the homeless in the Seattle area
Target - $10,000
Care & Share match - $5,000

To effectively contain COVID-19, social distancing and staying at home are the most effective recommended solutions, including for those who are homeless. We are working with BeautifulSoles (https://www.beautifulsoles.org/) and Mary’s Place (https://www.marysplaceseattle.org/) to support their sheltering program projects. Care & Share will match dollar for dollar every contribution up to a maximum of $5,000.

3. Goal – Provide 2,000 KN95 Grade masks for the families of health care workers in Chicago
Target - $6,000
Care & Share match - $2,500

Health care workers face a severe shortage of supplies for their safety and for the safety of their families. Many of them are given only one mask per week, with no protective masks for their families. We are working with suppliers to provide KN95 grade masks for 500 health care workers in the Chicago area. KN95 grade masks are effective against particles above 0.075 microns, and the Novel Corona Virus is about 0.1 to 0.12 microns. Upon producing their ID cards, health care workers can pick up masks from distribution stores. Each mask costs about $3. Care & Share will match dollar for dollar every contribution up to a maximum of $2,500. We are partnering with “Kaikorthu Malayalees” in Chicago for the execution of this project.

4. Goal – Provide Indian groceries for families with less than $40,000 annual household income in Chicago
Target - $30,000
Care & Share match - $8,000

This is a hard time for many families, especially those who are hourly or seasonal wage workers. Through a partnership with "Kaikorthu Malayalees", we will support up to 100 families, by providing up to $300per family in Indian groceries over the next three months. The vetting process requires the submission of tax returns (with Social Security Numbers blacked out) to verify income. Upon approval, the family will be assigned a credit to one of the grocery stores chosen from the Store list. Care & Share will pay the stores directly on their behalf. We have partnered with the following stores:
1. P & P Asian Foods: 8506 W Golf Rd, Niles, IL 60714
2. Kairali Foods of Glenview: 777 Milwaukee Ave, Glenview, IL 60025
3. Royal Maharaja Foods: 9060 W Golf Rd, Niles, IL 60714
4. Royal Malabar Foods: 911 Greenwood, Glenview, IL 60025
5. A1 Indian Groceries: 6601 S Cass Ave, Westmont, IL 60559
6. Elite Indian Catering: 5555 St Charles Rd, Berkeley, IL 60163

Care & Share will extend 1:1 support for each of the families you support for a maximum of $8,000.

FAQ
1. How can I make a donation?

Please use one of the options at the top of this page.

2. What are the total matching grants offered by Care & Share?
Care & Share will match a total of $26,000 across all the four listed projects.

3. Where are the matching grants coming from?
$20,500 is coming from Care & Share emergency reserve funds, and $5,500 is pooled in by Care & Share board of directors.

4. When are the funds for food banks and homeless shelter support disbursed?
We will make our first payment end of April, and the rest of the raised funds in May.

5. When do you expect to have the masks ready?
We have received around 500 mask from our suppliers, and another 1,000 masks are expected to be ready in 2 weeks. The last batch of 500 masks are expected to be available shortly after that.

6. How do I request for a mask?
Please contact one of the point of contacts from “Mask and Grocery Project” section at the bottom of the page.

7. Who are all eligible for masks?
This is a program exclusively for the families of healthcare workers and first responders. Our limited supply can support only 500 families.

8. Who are eligible for grocery support?
If your annual household income is less than $40,000, you are eligible. You will have to submit your tax returns to be eligible. Please redact Social Security Numbers while submitting the tax return. If you are single, then the income limit is $25,000.

9. Who is “Kaikorthu Malayalees”
This is a group of socially active individuals came together to help the community during this crisis time. Many of them are closely known to Care & Share Chicago board members for many years. They have served or currently serving in different community organizations in greater Chicago area.

10. Who should I send the tax return to, to prove eligibility for grocery support?
You may email your tax return to Andrew Thomas CPA andrew@careandshare.com or Tony Devassy president@careandshare.com. You can also fax it to our office 815-588-1414.

11. How do you plan to distribute grocery support credit?
Once your request is approved, an account will be opened in your name at the grocery store you chose from the list. You may shop there up to $100 a month for 3 months. If you are single, then support is $50/month for 3 months.

12. Who should I contact for grocery support and masks?
We recommend you to call “Kaikorthu Malayalees” support line at 1 833 353 7252 (1 833 3KERALA)

13. How long will it take to approve the application?
We will try our best to respond to you within 3 days of submission.

Point of contacts:

Food bank and homeless support in Seattle: Sajith Balan (425) 599-6801 &Ashley Elenjickal (425) 273-6021

Food bank support in Chicago: Debbie DevassyBabu (630) 631- 9225

Mask and Grocery Projects in Chicago:
“Kaikorthu Malayalees”at 1 833 353 7252 (1 833 3KERALA)
Benny Vachachira : 847-322-1973
Biji Mani : 847-650-1398
Jithesh Chungath: 224-522-9157
Andrew Thomas or Tony Devassy (630) 886-8380