Community Emergency Response Volunteers

Community Emergency Response Volunteers of the Monterey Peninsula's mission is “to support local CERT programs, build public awareness about emergency preparedness, and promote the community's capacity to respond to natural disasters and man-made emergencies.”

The nonprofit's list of achievements is pretty endless, but a small sample from 2020 includes raising more than $50,000 for food, rent and utilities of undocumented women during the pandemic; aiding those recovering from the 2020 fires; and collecting money and distributing gift cards to families in need.

CERV’s website is replete with emergency preparedness information for the general public, available in multiple languages. And CERT classes offer training in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and emergency medical operations.

Mission Statement

Community Emergency Response Volunteers of the Monterey Peninsula (CERV) was formed in 2011 to promote and sustain preparedness, readiness and response to emergencies and critical events by:
* Supporting local CERT programs in maintaining a full readiness status, their personnel, needed equipment, and supplies to function when activated
* Working to build public awareness of the importance of planning/preparing for emergencies
* Promoting individual and community capacity to respond to local disasters and emergencies
* Utilizing volunteers to keep the focus of funding on projects versus paid staff and infrastructure

Accomplishments

Below is a list of organizations, agencies, individuals, groups and communities that CERV of the Monterey Peninsula has helped over the years.

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR MONTEREY COUNTY
CERV of the Monterey Peninsula has provided support for relief and emergency assistance related to Carmel Fire victims, thanks to a grant of $38,000 from the Community Fund For Carmel Valley of the Community Foundation for Monterey County. This was the second round of their generous efforts to help.

CERV of the Monterey Peninsula recently obtained a grant from the Community Foundation for Monterey County of $120,000 to support families in need of relief from mudslides and debris flow caused by the River Fire in Monterey County. We will be distributing funds in May, 2021.

CAL-FIRE FOUNDATION
CERV also obtained a $10,000 grant from the Cal-Fire Foundation recently to support victims devastated by storms, debris flow and mudslides in Monterey County. We will also distribute these funds in May, 2021.

MONTEREY COUNTY GIVES! CAMPAIGN
Through the annual Monterey County Gives campaign CERV of the Monterey Peninsula has $5,500 to help support the ongoing work of our non-profit partners.

COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS (CERT) SUPPORT
The Carmel Gives Fund of the Community grant (c/o Community Foundation for Monterey County) provided CERV with $2,000 to provide electricity to Carmel's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) container in Sunset Center’s north parking lot. The work was completed.

CERV submitted a grant on May 3, 2021 for funding to improve the CERT emergency communications systems by purchasing equipment for Monterey and Pacific Grove Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT programs).

READY - CALIFORNIA
1. CERV helped raise over $50,000.00 for basic needs of undocumented women during the pandemic for food, rent, utilities and basics needs.

2. 15 CERV-funded non-profits pivoted to pandemic support. The state of California allowed emergency readiness grantees to spend up to 40% of their CERV budgets on immediate pandemic needs of their constituents. Grantees helped clients survive by providing basic need relief.

3. The CERV Listos project created 13 disaster readiness modules for its' grantees.

4. Eight CERV Grantees created app-based organizational disaster plans.

5. CERV helped raise $21,000.00 for homeless women living in cars.

6. CERV grantees distributed over 3,000 masks in county nursing homes and other elderly facilities.

7. CERV-funded non-profits surpassed over $100,000.00 in pandemic relief.

8. CERV writers helped document progress for local emergency readiness grantees.

9. CERV produced two online emergency readiness seminars that each reached over 100 participants.

CERV received the PG&E Resilient Communities grant in 2020 which focuses on the critical issue of wildfire risk. To that end, PG&E funded four $100,000 grants that build community capacity to reduce wildfire risk and support healthy and resilient forests and watersheds.

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