Story updated April 1
The Seabrook Community Foundation recently donated more than $50,000 so Grays Harbor Community Hospital could purchase three ventilators, and it is making zero interest loans available for small businesses on the North Beach and supplying funds for restaurants to provide free food.
“The Seabrook Community Foundation is doing some really great stuff in the North Beach community,” said the nonprofit’s executive director Christi Boora. “We want to make sure to inform the community these resources are available.”
The foundation has teamed with Seabrook restaurants Koko’s Mexican Restaurant and Frontager’s Pizza, paying for supplies and the food at cost, so those Seabrook restaurants can provide meals to the community outside of Seabrook proper.
Koko’s crew was hard at work Saturday, cranking out 1,000 burritos for delivery to the North Beach School District.
“It ended up being a coordinated effort with North Beach School District Superintendent Andy Kelly. They have a feeding program already in place and have been providing two meals a day during the week, this is a way to supplement that on the weekends for the families,” said Boora. The restaurant had previously supplied 700 burritos to Ocean Shores and dozens to the hospital, she added.
Saturday, Seabrook founder Casey Roloff said the day’s batch of 1,000 burritos was being delivered to North Beach School District students and families that afternoon. “Just need to look for the white Seabrook Jeep!” he commented under Koko’s Saturday Facebook post.
Frontager’s pizza truck will be in downtown Pacific Beach on the main street Wednesdays from noon to 8 p.m. providing free pizza, said Boora.
The foundation is funding both efforts for a total of four weeks, she said.
The foundation is also offering zero interest loans for area small businesses that have been shut down by the efforts to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“About a week ago the foundation decided to provide zero percent loans for small businesses in the Pacific Beach area,” said Boora. The loans are available to retail businesses open to the public in the area from Copalis Beach north to Moclips, and east to Humptulips.
“The foundation has been writing checks, meeting through teleconference, and trying to pretty much immediately get those checks out so the businesses don’t have to wait,” said Boora. “We’re getting the money out quickly.”
The loan terms are zero percent interest for six months, after six months the rate is 3%, with the loan due in full two years from inception. Loan amounts are 1% of gross revenue, with a maximum loan amount of $10,000. There are a few other criteria that must be met, which can be found on the loan application itself available online. Go to seabrookwa.com and click on the foundation link at the bottom of the home page. The website is being restructured, if you can’t find the application there, email sbcfoundation@seabrookwa.com.
“The other cool thing is we just wrote a check for $52,376 to the hospital to provide them with three ventilators,” said Boora. “Hospital board director Lynn Csernotta informed us that the need was there.”
The hospital is in the process of ordering 10 ventilators, five of two different but equally needed and useful types, according to Chris Majors, hospital Director of Marketing and Public Relations, and the Seabrook Community Foundation pledge will pay for three of them.
Boora was named executive director of the foundation late last week. A longtime North Beach area resident, she said she felt the foundation could open up and “do a lot of great things for the community.”
Seabrook Community Foundation receives and grants the proceeds from the 1 percent fee on all home sales and resales in Seabrook. The Foundation has awarded some $1.3 million to nonprofit organizations and scholarships in Grays Harbor County.
COURTESY PHOTO The 1,000 burritos made at Koko’s Mexican Restaurant in Seabrook Saturday were delivered to families in the North Beach School District.
COURTESY PHOTO The 1,000 burritos made at Koko’s Mexican Restaurant in Seabrook Saturday were delivered to families in the North Beach School District.
