Jacksonville philanthropists Michael Ward and Jennifer Glock have committed a total of $1.25 million to four nonprofits that are supporting Northeast Florida COVID-19 relief efforts.
The couple will give $500,000 to Hubbard House, a full-service certified domestic violence center that serves Duval and Baker counties, and $250,000 each to Feeding Northeast Florida, Florida’s First Coast Relief Fund and United Way of Northeast Florida.
“We believe those who have the means to help should help and we are blessed to be able to do so,” Ward and Glock said Thursday. “These are unprecedented times and we hope our gift will serve as a catalyst for other large gifts.
“We challenge Northeast Florida philanthropists, socially responsible companies and all individuals in our community to pull together to give what they can,” they said. “Our nonprofits and struggling families need you now more than ever. When we all succeed, you will too.”
Nonprofit leaders were thrilled.
“Michael and Jennifer’s vision for Northeast Florida — a stronger, more vibrant place to call home — is powering so much good happening in our community every day,” said Michelle Braun, president and CEO of United Way of Northeast Florida.
Nina Waters, president of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, a partner in the Relief Fund, said she was grateful not only for the gifts, but for Ward and Glock’s “confidence in our local nonprofit sector to get things done.”
Ward, who retired in 2017 as CEO of CSX Corp., and Glock, a family and marriage therapist, married in 2016. They formed the Michael Ward and Jennifer Glock Foundation and have a long history of philanthropy.
The COVID-19 pandemic, they said, is “dramatically amplifying existing community needs and creating unprecedented demands on nonprofits.”
Hubbard House, for one, is expecting the demand for shelter and services to increase as survivors and their children are isolated with their abusers. Meanwhile, the nonprofit is experiencing increased expenses but decreased fundraising.
The gift will allow continued services “without interruption both during and after the pandemic,” said CEO Gail Patin. “The result will be saved local lives. It’s that profound and that simple and we couldn’t be any more grateful.”
Regional food bank Feeding Northeast Florida is currently focused on coronavirus relief, with increasing demand for food and decreasing donations. Some of its partner food pantries are reporting up to three times as many families seeking food than the usual numbers.
“Pre-COVID-19, our clients often had to choose between buying food and paying for other vital resources like housing, medication, child care or transportation,” said President and CEO Susan King. “Now with the realities of school and workplace closures, reduced hours and neighbors unable to leave their homes, more and more individuals are being forced to make these impossible choices with no end in sight.”
The gift from Ward and Glock “is a game changer for us at this unprecedented time, and ... will make a significant impact,” she said.
