Happy New Year! The year 2021 marks the Silver Jubilee of the Health Trust, and while the desire to slam the door on 2020 was great, we welcome 2021 with hope and optimism fed by the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and vibrant movements for health and racial justice locally and across the country.
The Health Trust was officially formed 25 years ago today from the sale of a local nonprofit hospital system, establishing an endowment dedicated to investing in agencies that support the most vulnerable residents in Santa Clara and Northern San Benito counties. Along with the endowment, we also sustained and grew the operation of services for people living with HIV/AIDS and Meals on Wheels.
Since then, as a nonprofit operating foundation with over $100 million in assets, we have served the Silicon Valley community by awarding quarterly medically-related grants, growing our direct services, and ensuring that public policies help give everyone the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.
2020 brought daunting challenges, but we worked harder than ever to deliver vital health resources to our most vulnerable neighbors, and we thank all those who made that possible. This is what we have been doing for 25 years, and we enter 2021 with a renewed commitment to health and racial equity.
As a funder, in addition to our annual $2.2 million in community grants, we increased our grantmaking payout by $1 million in 2020 to support communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, and granted $723,000 in additional general operating support to nonprofit partners for COVID-19 relief support.
In response to the pandemic, our service provider arm served 78% more households accessing free groceries; we increased the number of monthly meals delivered by our Meals on Wheels program by over 600%; and we found new safe and innovative ways to provide case management, disease management support, and housing assistance to community members in need.
Additionally, we led state and local advocacy efforts pertaining to insulin affordability, food security, affordable housing, and health disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amidst this organizational growth, a global pandemic, and uprising for justice, we also focused on our strategic plan. This process allowed for reflection and reaffirmation to our three focus areas –improving health through food; making chronic diseases more preventable and manageable; and prioritizing health in housing –and our three roles as funder, provider, and advocate.
As we move forward, we seek to be more intentional about addressing health and racial equity, in our work with the community and within our organization. We look forward to sharing our updated strategic plan with you soon and welcome your guidance in our journey to be better allies and leaders in the fight for equity.
I am humbled knowing that we are not alone in our mission to build health equity. With the stewardship of our past and present Board of Trustees; along with support from our funders, donors, staff, and volunteers; and by collaborating with community-based organizations, policymakers, and local leaders, we are building health equity together.
Thank you and happy 25 years of the Health Trust!
Michele Lew
CEO