How many times while on patrol we come across crime victims, accident victims or just a strange set of circumstances where we have encountered people who unexpectedly find themselves hungry, out of gas, or with no place to stay! It is a good feeling to be able to do something about it in the moment, when the need is greatest.
Thanks to the Eugene Police Foundation’s Community Cares Fund we have been doing that.
The CCF provides a way for our officers to immediately help people we encounter in unexpected and difficult circumstances who are in need of a small temporary boost to get them through a crisis. Common uses for the Community Cares Fund are for shelter, food and vehicle gasoline. This month, for example, a 48-year-old woman, taken advantage of by others, needed food and was provided some. A man near Hwy. 99 was in desperate need of shoes and now has a brand new pair.
The CCF can be used for many critical needs:
- Emergency shelter (hotel rooms) for homeless individuals (often with children)
- Bus/train tickets for people in crisis to get back home to a safe place
- Fuel for a stranded father and his children
- Fuel for a homeless Veteran
- Replacement lock for a homeless individual’s storage unit
- Emergency meals for homeless and in-crisis individuals
For more information on Eugene Police Foundation’s Community Cares Fund, contact Lee Lashway, lee.lashway@gmail.com