On Monday, the City of Boston announced a new fund to assist families, seniors, and first responders affected by the sprawling coronavirus outbreak.
During a press conference on Monday afternoon, Mayor Martin J. Walsh outlined the plans for the Boston Resiliency Fund, which is intended to provide high-priority critical services in the city and meet the basic needs of families that may arise as the crisis evolves. He said the fund’s focus will be on providing food access to at-risk communities, technology to support at-home learning, support for first responders who need childcare, and other services.
“In the face of challenges like this one, Boston and its people show their true colors,” Walsh said. “Every dollar we raise will make our city more resilient and help our families recover faster.”
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The city has already tapped Jack Connors, one of Boston’s most prolific fund-raisers; Partners, the state’s largest health care provider; and one of the city’s most prominent executives, Vertex CEO Jeff Leiden, to help drive the effort. The Vertex Foundation and several of the city’s other major institutions, including John Hancock, the Gross Family Foundation, Bain Capital, and Liberty Mutual have each committed to donating $1 million to the fund.
The mayor said the city hoped to raised $20 million to support nonprofits to serve those most in need.
Janelle Nanos can be reached at janelle.nanos@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @janellenanos.