Help fund Modesto Bee’s coronavirus coverage with your tax-deductible donation
I can’t thank our staff — and readers — enough for The Bee’s coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, a 24/7 story that will be with us for 365 and beyond.
The COVID-19 crisis has brought significant stress to everyone, including our reporters and photographers. They, like you, are working tirelessly while managing families, a job and themselves.
We began focusing on the coronavirus earlier than most local news outlets, even before our late January YouTube Q&A with our community-funded doctor/reporter ChrisAnna Mink, who answered viewer questions and shared her expertise as a pediatric infectious disease specialist. She sounded the alarm early, and has provided us with important guidance throughout.
Since then, every reporter and editor has written about COVID-19’s impact on educators and students, businesses and nonprofits, city and county workers, healthcare professionals and law enforcement and countless volunteers.
The insight you provided about your experiences, concerns and needs has helped us hold leaders accountable. By filling out our surveys with openness and honesty, you’ve invited our reporters into your lives, which has given our stories a critical perspective.
The heart-wrenching accounts of losing a job or business are commonplace today. The pandemic has impacted hundreds of companies in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, including ours. Your support through subscriptions have helped. We thank you deeply. But advertising dollars continue to evaporate.
That’s why I’m asking for your help. You can now make a tax-deductible gift to The Bee.
In one of many ways we’re trying to reshape our business model, we have partnered with Local Media Foundation — a nationwide nonprofit that’s helping local news organizations sustain their coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Can you help us? It’s simple. You can give at www.givebutter.com/modbee. Any amount will be greatly appreciated.
Your dollars will help us continue our reporting on the pandemic, and give us a longer runway as we navigate through the recovery. Our goal is to raise $54,000, which will keep our reporters and photographers working to deliver essential news and information every day for readers in and around Modesto and Stanislaus County.
Each day our reporters attempt to keep you informed, engage with you, answer your questions and tell stories that might help a neighbor or loved one. Readers have shared their appreciation of our recent efforts in words and voices.
Our fundraising campaign was less than 18 hours old when we received a $50 donation and these words: “I support my local journalists! I’m a subscriber to The Modesto Bee, but I am grateful for the lowered paywall for the COVID-19 articles. You have thanks for everything you do.”
Since then, we’ve received more than 140 donations, along with kind and encouraging words of support.
We thank you, and anyone, who can donate to our GiveButter page or simply share it with friends and family on Facebook or with members of your community groups.
You also can send a check.
It must be made out to: Local Media Foundation
Please put “Modesto Bee” in the memo line.
Mail to: Brian Clark
The Modesto Bee
948 11th Street, Suite 300
Modesto, CA 95354
If any other questions, Call Editor Brian Clark at 209-578-2362.
From all of us at The Bee, we truly appreciate your continued support and access that has been vital to our coverage.
Thanks again.
This story was originally published May 5, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
