The emergence of COVID-19 created a profound public health and economic crisis, both locally and worldwide. The Community Foundation for Monterey County established the COVID-19 Relief Fund in response and granted $2.3 million so far to nonprofits serving people in need.
What we didn’t consider was how COVID-19 would so starkly reveal deep inequities in our communities. We often use code words like “vulnerable populations,” which aren’t inaccurate but don’t articulate who specifically is at risk.
