Every year, the Murdock Trust has the opportunity to partner with hundreds of organizations as they seek to serve the common good through innovative and sustainable solutions to challenges facing the diverse communities of the Pacific Northwest. Throughout the year, we seek to identify ways that we can help shine the spotlight on the work of our grantees to both celebrate their service and raise awareness of the value they bring to their community and to our region.
One of our favorite storytelling efforts is our Annual Video project where we have the opportunity to visit grantees in each of the states we serve and drill down into the work they are doing to serve individuals and families across a wide range of sectors.
In 2020, so many organizations were forced to dramatically pivot their work to address the rapidly developing needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to adjust their own work practices to keep employees, volunteers and those they serve safe.
To honor this historic effort, we devoted this year’s Annual Video project to tell the stories of the individuals and organizations serving on the front lines of the pandemic. This series of four videos provides an in-depth look at how Scientific Research, Healthcare, Food Bank and Community Foundation nonprofits helped serve the common good and change lives for the better during this unprecedented time.
We thank the organizations that participated in this effort, including Fred Hutchinson Research Center, Montana State University, Providence Health Systems, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Montana Hospital Association, Terry Reilly Health Services, Food Bank of Alaska, Oregon Food Bank, Community Foundation for Southwest Washington, Innovia Foundation and Idaho Community Foundation. We also extend our sincere gratitude to all of the individuals and organizations who have put their own safety at risk to serve the common good during this historic moment of need. THANK YOU!
“Community foundations have a super power.” These nonprofits connect directly with the diverse leaders of a community to best understand the unique needs of individuals and families. Through their work on the front lines of these communities, they build networks, relationships and programs that get to the heart of the unique needs of their region.
As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of our region, the ensuing economic ramifications were devastating to many families. One stark example of this can be found in food insecurity. Food banks across our region saw need double or triple almost overnight.
To call our local healthcare workers “heroes” is an understatement. On a normal day they invest their time and energy in healing the sick and injured. But against the backdrop of the pandemic, they quite literally put themselves and their families at risk to serve the common good of our community.
Whether they were previously focused on infectious diseases, chronic illness or any other number of scientific disciplines, these dedicated organizations and individuals asked “how might we be able to help in this fight?” They then sought to deploy their expertise in any way that might help benefit individuals and families during this historic moment of need.
