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Rolling out COVID-19 relief in Oregon

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This blog was posted on behalf of Courtney Martin, Public Affairs Director for Intel in Oregon and California. In this role she provides oversight and strategic direction for state and local government engagement, media, and community relations. 

 

Today, the Intel Foundation announced that it is providing $4 million globally for coronavirus relief efforts, with $1 million from our global investments and other funds to support our local communities in Oregon. Funds will be distributed to community foundations and organizations that are focused on food security, shelter, medical equipment and small business support.  

We also launched the Global Coronavirus Relief Matching Campaign for Intel employees and retirees. The Intel Foundation will match donations made by every full-time and part-time employee and U.S. retiree, up to $2 million. With employee and U.S. retiree contributions, we can donate to charitable organizations that will care for the communities where we live and work during this global pandemic. As Oregon’s largest private employer, and with over 21,000 employees, we have the power to affect real change as we tackle one of the largest challenges we have faced. 

The three Oregon charities that will benefit from this employee matching campaign are:

  • Oregon Community Foundation’s Oregon Community Recovery Fund, which is deploying resources to organizations that can immediately put dollars to work helping Oregonians with basic needs such as rent, utility assistance, food and needed services.

  • Oregon Food Bank, which is providing access to food for those at an increased risk of food insecurity during this crisis through its network of 21 regional food banks and 1,400 food assistance sites across Oregon and Clark County, Washington.

  • United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, which uses its Community Safety Net Fund to help individuals and families meet their basic needs by providing critical services, including short-term housing assistance, utilities assistance, and access to food boxes and pantries.


These organizations are rapidly mobilizing to provide relief to community members, including our most vulnerable populations in Oregon. 

It is our hope that by supporting the efforts of our local partners, we can help our community in the most meaningful way as they address COVID-19 relief. We are inspired to be surrounded by so many dedicated people and nonprofits that are rapidly mobilizing to care for Oregonians. Our contributions are made with sincere gratitude for their incredible spirit, care and fortitude in this time of need.

In addition to our employee matching program, $1 million from our global investment and other funds will go to Oregon-based organizations. We are beginning to allocate contributions to organizations including

  • The Hillsboro Community Relief Fund, which was recently established to bring rent and utility assistance, as well as medical bill relief and meal assistance, to impacted populations in the city of Hillsboro. 

  • Free Geek, which provides digital access to some of our communities’ most vulnerable populations—the same people who are most adversely impacted by the spread of COVID-19. This includes K-12 students and college students, displaced workers, and aging populations. Intel has also put the call out to our employees to donate used technology to help Free Geek supply devices to those in need. 


Intel also recently provided Microsoft® Surface Pro* tablets to the Oregon Department of Human Services to address the issue of isolation felt by older adults and others living in long-term care facilities undergoing visitor restrictions to reduce their exposure to COVID-19. These tablets will be used as a point of access for long-term-care-facility community members to communicate with their loved ones through telecommunications applications such as Skype* and Google Hangouts*.

We’re also happy to share that the first shipments of Intel-donated surgical masks left our Hillsboro, Oregon, facility. We are coordinating with the Oregon Office of Emergency Management and the Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management, which are working to distribute them to health-care facilities in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority and local county health departments. 

Our employees are our biggest asset at Intel, and we encourage them to share their experience, talents, and passions with schools and nonprofits around the world. As we adjust to this situation, we are also providing and encouraging virtual volunteer opportunities to help communities around the world.

It is our hope that these funds will provide humanitarian relief and amplify the investments of Intel employees across a broad spectrum of philanthropic organizations statewide. We'll get through this together. 

*Other names and brands may be claimed as property of others.
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