The Community Foundation of Elkhart County has joined those stepping up to help victims of Monday’s Martin’s store shootings.
The foundation created a Disaster Relief Fund in 2007 to help victims of tornadoes that hit Nappanee. In 2018 the fund helped flood victims in Goshen, and more recently it was used for Covid response.
In response to the Martin’s shootings, Foundation President Pete McCown on Tuesday changed the name to the Community Crisis Fund. Foundation spokesman Brian Cook says there’s money in the fund but the foundation also invites the public to donate to it.
Cook says the money will help more than just the families of the two people killed, 49-year-old customer Ben Jeffery and 19-year-old employee Annasue Rocha.
"So it's not just for the immediate victims," Cook said. "While they're included, it really is for other community members who've been affected by this."
Cook says an example could be paying for things like counseling for customers and employees who were witnesses. He noted that the foundation does not give money directly to victims but instead gives it to partners that can help, or for example, they might send payments to a victim’s mortgage lender.
