Erie Gives Has Record-Setting Day with More Than $6.2 Million in Donations
More than $6 Million dollars. That's how much the Erie community donated Tuesday to help area non-profits, at a time when they need it more than ever.
The 12-hour Erie Community Foundation event set a record for the day of fundraising.
Preliminary results show $6,287,202 dollars was donated. And despite individuals out of jobs and struggling much like non-profits, 11,418 people made a donation.
This 10th annual Erie Gives Day raised money for more than 400 area non profits.
Thanks to the Erie Community Foundation and sponsors of Erie Gives, a $400,000 match will be split amongst the non-profits.
Organizers say they're always stunned by the community's support, "I've done this a long time and I shouldn’t be surprised by the generosity of our community but I am. You don’t take it for granted, people don’t need to do this, it’s voluntary, so I guess I'm grateful and overwhelmed," said Mike Batchelor, President of the Erie Community Foundation.
The Foundation for Free Enterprise Education is the non-profit which received the most monetary donations during Erie Gives.
The non-profit brings high school students and businesses together state-wide to educate students on free enterprise.
Their supporters donated $192,294 to the cause.
The Erie City Mission is the non-profit which had the most donors, with 1,029 people donating to the non-profit which offers hope, recovery and shelter to Erie’s homeless population.