nullQuinton Smith

**Yachats Community Presbyterian Church pastor Bob Barrett was helping out Thursday at a Red Cross blood drive shortly after announcing resumption of the church’s worker and business relief fund.**

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com

Spurred by an anonymous donation of $50,000, the Yachats Community Presbyterian Church announced Thursday it was resuming direct aid to laid-off workers and businesses hurt by new coronavirus restrictions.

With other new but smaller donations, Pastor Bob Barrett said the church had $60,000 to distribute – and asked for more donations to help people and businesses through what could be a long winter.

The new campaign follows two separate efforts that started last spring and distributed more than $200,000 to unemployed workers and distressed businesses in Yachats. That effort – like the newest one – was funded entirely by donations.

The new program will operate a little differently.

The previous effort simply doled out cash ranging from $100 to $300 to the unemployed each Wednesday. Businesses filed an application each month if they needed help with rent, utilities and other on-going costs.

This time the church will require individuals and businesses to fill out a form that asks details how they were impacted by coronavirus shutdowns or restrictions, and to state what they need. Individuals can get up to $300 a month; businesses will get up to $1,500 a month.

“We know it’s not the complete solution, but it will help with rent, with food or gas …” Barrett said.

Barrett said the new effort will “go as long as there is a need and we have the money available.”

The church had been thinking about re-starting some kind of relief program this winter, wondering how strong the need was and if the community would contribute again.

Then the pandemic worsened in Oregon and a two-week state-ordered “freeze” on many business and social activities took effect Wednesday. Most local restaurants immediately laid off workers Wednesday; a few others closed.

A financial management company called recently to ask for the church’s tax identification number and told Barrett a $50,000 check was on its way.

“It was literally a check in the mail,” Barrett said Wednesday in announcing the new effort. “It was completely anonymous. The only stipulation was that it be used for community relief.”

That sealed the church’s decision to begin another relief effort to help those affected economically by restrictions from the pandemic.

“We are so humbled by the trust they put in the church, without any questions,” Barrett said. “Hopefully others will follow and this can go on through the winter.”

The church announced the new effort at 10 a.m. Wednesday on the Yachats community Facebook page. Barrett said within minutes they had two applications.