In response to the devastation and loss of life caused by the Feb. 6 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation has provided $250,000 in grants to support relief efforts in severely affected communities. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake is the strongest to hit the region in over 80 years and has killed more than 35,000 people to date. Thousands of others have been injured or reported missing.
Grants will go toward short-term needs, as well as longer-term responses:
- $125,000 to the International Rescue Committee to support the provision of medical treatment, shelters, household kits, dignity kits for women and girls, hygiene supplies, gender-safe spaces, winter kits with blankets, warm clothes, and access to food and safe drinking water.
- $125,000 to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to support local partner agencies focused on immediate and mid-term relief efforts, including meals, blankets, tents and tent heaters, and winter clothes.
The Weinberg Foundation’s response to other emergencies and disasters includes $250,000 after Hurricane Ian in Florida; $250,000 after the mass shooting in Highland Park, Ill.; $250,000 after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas; $250,000 after the mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y.; and $1 million after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.