In response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, on April 7th, the Austin Parrish family provided $185,000 in immediate grants to local non-profit organizations who are working on the frontlines, helping those in need.

In addition, the Austin Parrish family has created the Employee Assistance Fund for A-dec, Allison and Austin Industries employees impacted by the crisis and the Community Relief Fund to continue to support local non-profit organizations, as they face the many challenges caused by this national emergency.

Program 1: AFF COVID-19 Employee Assistance Fund (program ended on May 31, 2020)

The AFF COVID-19 Employee Assistance Fund provided financial assistance to employees of A-dec, Inc. and affiliates, Austin Industries, LLC and The Allison Inn and Spa. This program included employees at all of A-dec’s global entities, and employees who were laid off during the recent reduction in workforce at A-dec and the Allison.

Employees needed to meet all the following eligibility criteria to qualify for financial assistance:

  1. The applicant’s primary residence was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, causing the applicant to be evacuated, displaced, stranded, quarantined or significantly impacted. 
  2. The applicant needed food or other basic immediate needs. 
  3. The applicant is or was an employee at A-dec, Inc., Austin Industries, LLC, or The Allison Inn and Spa at the time of the impact.

Eligible applicants received a one-time grant. Grants awarded to employees in the U.S. are not taxed.

(This program ended on May 31, 2020)

Program 2: AFF COVID-19 Community Assistance Fund

The AFF COVID-19 Community Assistance Fund was a grant program for non-profit organizations in Newberg and Dundee that are providing the community with any of the following:

  1. Basic needs (services and assistance that keeps people housed, fed, healthy, and safe).
  2. Social and emotional needs (services for mental health, child abuse, domestic violence, substance abuse and other social/emotional issues exacerbated by the crisis).
  3. School closures (strategies for addressing learning loss, ancillary services provided by schools, and post-secondary issues).
  4. Non-profits were able to apply for these small grants directly through the Austin Family Foundation.

The COVID-19 Community Assistance Fund transitioned to a Small Grants Program in 2022.

The Austin Family Foundation Small Grant Program is designed to support non-profit organizations that are providing services related to community, health, or education for Newberg/Dundee citizens. Decisions are made on the merits of the proposed project/program and the alignment of the Austin Family Foundation funding priorities. 

Small grants are funded monthly.

Typical Grant Size: $500-$10,000

TO APPLY FOR A SMALL GRANT, visit the Foundation’s online grant portal »

Other ways the Austin family of companies are supporting the community

Both A-dec and The Allison have each initiated special programs to help during the pandemic.

The Allison Inn & Spa

On March 22 The Allison announced they would be serving family-style meals to go, at cost, for the local community. From March 23 to May 3, they sold 3,645 orders, which fed 21,870 guests. The program also allowed a limited number of JORY kitchen staff to keep working during the downturn. Tips that were collected from customers during this time, over $6,000, were donated to 9 local and national charities.

A-dec

When A-dec was approached by a nurse at Legacy Health asking for help in supplying health-workers with personal protective equipment (PPE), the company quickly responded to meet the need. In just thirteen days, the company designed prototypes for a plastic shield coverings for Legacy’s Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPR) helmets, which are worn during procedures that provide protection against airborne illnesses. A-dec has produced nearly 13,000 shields to date, but is now able to produce 10,000 PAPR shields each week to meet Legacy’s needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

See the story on KGW.com: Decades-old Oregon dental supply company A-dec starts producing face shields amid PPE shortage »