Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Michael Babcock, director of marketing and communications for the Portage Health Foundation, updates the Giving Tuesday fundraising total Tuesday afternoon at the PHF office.

HANCOCK — Twenty-two nonprofits from around the Copper Country got vital help in serving the community thanks to the money raised through Giving Tuesday.

The Portage Health Foundation matches all donations to the organizations, up to $200,000. They’d already hit that amount by early afternoon. But the hope every year is to be bigger than the year before — in the case of last year, $394,000, said Michael Babcock, director of marketing and communications for Portage Health Foundation.

As of 3:30 p.m., PHF had raised more than $220,000. Online donations made up about $170,000 of that, with 608 people donating. The final total won’t be known until sometime next week.

“For pretty much every one of these nonprofits, this is the biggest fundraiser they do every year,” he said.

Donations open three weeks in advance, though most come in on the final day, Babcock said.

Nonprofits can apply to be part of PHF’s Giving Tuesday drive in the fall. There are two criteria: they must be a registered 501(c)3, and their mission involves improving the health of the community.

About 80% of the donors last year were local. Though donors were spread across 15 states, that trend looks to continue this year, Babcock said.

“I personally think it speaks volumes for how much people care locally,” he said. “I also think it speaks to how much capacity for giving up here, because there are a lot of families that are struggling, but there are also a lot of families ready to give back. Whether it’s a $20 gift or a $500 gift, there are families ready to give back what they’re able to, and these nonprofits really appreciate it.”

One of those nonprofits is the Keweenaw Family Resource Center, which provides a number of programs for families with young children.

Iola Brubaker, director of the KFRC, said Giving Tuesdays have brought in about $70,000 over the past four years, making it the biggest fundraiser annually. This year, Brubaker has been highlighting the scholarships for the Treehouse Indoor playground for low-income, foster and active military households, among others.

“Those funds help us offset that and help us keep the costs really low to access the Treehouse,” she said.

Other programs include a diaper drive for KFRC’s baby closet. The drive collects diapers and wipes that go to families without the money to buy them. Last year, it served 50 to 60 families, Brubaker said. There is also a clothing closet for infants and toddlers.

KFRC continues to run its playgroups.

“After this last year, they’re becoming incredibly important to reconnect and build social connections — not just for the little ones that come, but parents that come with them, because people are feeling isolated and alone,” she said.

The Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter has been part of giving Tuesday since the beginning. From just a few thousand in its first year, it was able to raise $39,000 last year, said executive director Mary Niemela.

That money goes towards direct services to clients, as well as helping to pay for utilities at the shelter. It can also help people get birth certificates, driver’s licenses, clothing and other items they didn’t have time to grab before they left.

The 10-bed shelter can help as many as 100 people over the course of a year, Niemela said.

People typically stay for two weeks to a month.

“Sometimes people just come in and share their situation, and then they end up leaving because they’ve unloaded their burden a little bit,” she said. “And then there are times that we’ve had somebody there for four months, because it was so dangerous for them to be out.”

More than two times that amount are aided through the shelter’s non-residential services, such as support advocacy, or help with applications.

Giving Tuesday has helped the Gundlach Shelter offset cuts in state Victims of Crime Aid grants, which cost the shelter about $80,000, Niemela said. COVID has also hurt the shelter’s fundraising.

“Last year, and even this year, we haven’t been able to do a lot of those fundraisers that we normally do, so it’s really helped out,” she said.

For the Copper Harbor Trails Club, the money will go towards the Highlands Trail, a 5-mile cross-country loop on Department of Natural Resources land near Copper Harbor. The trail is intended primarily for mountain bikers, but will be available to hikers and trail runners also, said executive director Nathan Miller.

Last year, the club raised about $25,000, which went towards work on other parts of the trail.

“It was an awesome experience working with the Portage Health Foundation on that,” Miller said. “They matched quite a lot of the donations that came in, and we’re extremely appreciative for what they’ve done for us.”

Miller looks forward to taking part in Giving Tuesday in future years.

“I think for all the 22 organizations who are a part of it this year, we all appreciate the efforts that the Portage Health Foundation is doing to help our organizations and our community benefit everybody who lives in this area,” he said.