Aaron Rodgers donates $1 million to help struggling businesses in hometown of Chico
Aaron Rodgers is making a difference for struggling businesses in his hometown of Chico, Calif.
Rodgers has created the Aaron Rodgers Small-Business COVID-19 Fund in conjunction with the North Valley Community Foundation, and donated $1 million of his own money to the fund.
"Small, locally owned businesses are the heart and soul of a community," Rodgers said in a statement via ESPN. "In the applications and the videos, it was heart-wrenching to hear about all the obstacles facing restaurants and retail establishments. So many of them are struggling just to stay in business but remain hopeful that there's an end to this."
Eighty businesses have received aid through the Fund, and Rodgers notified some of them himself.
On Instagram, Rodgers said that those 80 businesses were just the first wave of grant recipients, so it appears that the fund will continue to help small businesses in Chico and Butte County.
This isn't the first time Rodgers has reached out to help his hometown. When the area was devastated by a fire in Nov. 2018, he gave $1 million to help businesses with 20 or fewer full-time employees get back on their feet. That fund eventually raised over $3 million from generous fans and corporate partners.
More from Yahoo Sports:
