Times Gives $46,000 to Aid Quake Relief

The Los Angeles Times gave $46,000 Friday to eight Ventura County organizations as part of $225,000 distributed to help with recovery from the Northridge earthquake.

The contributions were funded by the proceeds of The Times’ book, “4:31: Images of the 1994 Los Angeles Earthquake,” which sold more than 100,000 copies. The paperback book is a history of the quake’s devastation depicted in essays and photographs by the paper’s editorial staff.

In all, 29 organizations from the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, Ventura County and Santa Monica received grants that ranged from $5,000 to $20,000.

In Ventura County, the groups that received money were the Fillmore Towne Theater, Food Share, Mano Y Mano, Our Lutheran Social Services, Samaritan Center in Simi Valley, Simi Valley Historical Society and the Thousand Oaks Library Foundation.

The awards were presented Friday during a luncheon at The Times’ San Fernando Valley Edition plant in Chatsworth.

Jim King, a representative of the Simi Valley Family YMCA, said the money would “go a long way toward paying the bills we incurred” in helping earthquake victims.

With Friday’s donations, The Times and its parent company, Times Mirror, have contributed nearly $500,000 to earthquake recovery efforts.