ATLANTA, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is stepping up to help Montana in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Blank is donating a total of $165,000 though the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation to a number of Montana-based organizations.
Organizations include:
- Hopa Montana ($50,000)
- HRDC ($50,000)
- Gallatin Valley Food Bank ($25,000)
- Healthy Gallatin Campaign ($20,000)
- The Livingston Food Resource Center ($20,000)
These donations are part of a total of $5.4 million that the foundation is donating to help communities in both Georgia and Montana. The Treasure State holds a special place in Blank's heart. He owns ranches in the Paradise Valley and has come to Montana for a number of years with his family to vacation. Blank also brings his sports teams, the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC, to Montana each summer to hold a number of youth camps.
Below is part of the release by The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation detailing what the donations will be used for in each organization:
"The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is making the following emergency response investments in Park and Gallatin Counties in Montana:
To address the immediate needs of the Native American and Latino communities in Montana, many of whom have been completely displaced by the closing of hospitality venues, the Foundation is providing Hopa Mountain with a $50,000 grant to deliver necessities, including food, cleaning supplies, housing and clothing in these communities.
With winter centers for the homeless closing early due to COVID-19, the Foundation will provide HRDC with $50,000 to aid them in finding alternative housing option for the homeless population and providing housing assistance programs to the state’s most vulnerable.
In the wake of workers facing layoffs or reduced hours, the Gallatin Valley Food Bank expects a spike in demand, and through a $25,000 donation from the Foundation, it will be able to increase food inventory, volunteer participation and new operations to adhere to social distancing requirements.
To disseminate accurate information around COVID-19 to all Montanans, the Foundation will provide $20,000 to the Healthy Gallatin Campaign to produce PSAs for radio, tv, and social media.
A staple in the Livingston community, The Livingston Food Resource Center will receive a $20,000 grant to provide nutritious food to Park County residents who need emergency food support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Special efforts will address the immediate needs of Livingston’s most “at-risk” citizens, the elderly and children."
