Destiny Church launches fund to help struggling businesses during the pandemic
(Rocklin, CA) — Destiny Christian Church in Rocklin, California has launched a campaign called “Placer Freedom” to support small businesses who have been devastated by the economic hardships of the pandemic.
In December, Pastor Greg Fairrington of Destiny Church gathered business and community leaders together from the church to establish the“Placer Freedom Fund” — a grant to distribute to small businesses (closed and open) who have been struggling in the midst of California’s latest shutdown. They also built an online directory of over 200 businesses that were still offering services to encourage community members to support. Within 4 days, the directory saw 30,000 patrons utilize the directory.
As of December 22nd, the Placer Freedom Fund has assisted over 40 businesses in Placer County and has distributed over $35,000 with more to come.
In a letter addressed to businesses in Placer County, Pastor Fairrington wrote that we “recognize the hardships you have faced in recent months. COVID-19 has presented many challenges and specifically within the business community. You have been devastated with continued shutdowns by the state and many doors that have closed will never open again. For years, the business community has supported our cities, towns, and neighborhoods, through sponsorships, fundraiser events, and providing critical goods and services. You are the backbone of Placer County.”
Pastor Fairrington continued on to say that “our Mission at Destiny Christian Church has always been to love our city. With that in mind, we have launched PlacerFreedom.com, an online directory of businesses who are safely and responsibly staying open in Placer County. In doing this we hope to raise awareness and promote community patronage of your businesses. However, we didn’t want to stop there. We understand you have bills to pay, employees to support, and a family to love during the Christmas season. We joined together and launched the Placer Freedom Fund. With this fund, we hope to lighten your load and provide a little Christmas cheer with some support during this time of increased stress.”
A Tearfully Inspiring Tour of Placer County
Joined by Placer County Supervisor Kirk Uhler, Placer County Supervisor Bonnie Gore, and William Jessup University President Dr. John Jackson, Pastor Greg hosted a “Placer Freedom” tour to visit small business owners and hear their story of struggle, dedication, and commitment during these trying times. The stories they heard were both heartbreaking and inspiring.
Meet Roy from Carte Jewelers (pictured above). Roy has owned Carte and been a champion of the Placer community for decades. He was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer a few years ago, and by the grace of God and with a lot of fight, is now cancer-free. Then the pandemic hit and Roy has had to navigate the challenges of being a business owner during such a devastating time. Placer Freedom visited Roy to encourage them, pray for them, and give them a financial gift for the holidays.
Dozens of stories full of grateful hearts, tearful tales, and warm embraces were marked on this tour. With so many businesses, families, and community members struggling, Destiny Church’s mission has been to be a House of Blessing to all.
