Dear Friends,
I hope you and your families are doing as well as possible under these challenging circumstances. I wanted to provide you another brief update on our programs, but mostly tell you about something new we’re starting in this season to help us support youth and families in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.
First, thank you for all of the kind and encouraging messages you’ve been sending us. Many of you have stepped up to support us in new ways and we are so grateful. We continue to provide support to the youth in our residential programs and our Family Resource Centers are distributing food and meeting other emergency needs over the phone. I am proud of our dedicated staff who are making sacrifices to serve at the frontlines of this crisis, caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
I know that you are being inundated with updates about this pandemic from local businesses, other nonprofits, and the news, and that’s why we’re trying to update you only when we believe it’s truly necessary. However, our needs are evolving constantly. We are creating a special COVID-19 task force of community members like you who want to step up for those who need it most. Not physically, of course, but with their time, resources, and attention. This small group will receive updates as they come in about what we need. They’ll leverage their own resources and also their networks to help us make connections and provide food and other resources to people who need help the most. Because here’s the reality: those who are in need already are those who are going to be hardest-hit. I know that many of you are eager to know what you can do because you’ve told me so, and we truly need your partnership.
As of today, here are our most immediate needs:
- Gift cards (i.e., supermarkets, fast food restaurants, Target, Walmart, etc.)
- Hand sanitizers
- Prepared meals for staff and clients
- Food delivery (i.e., pizza & takeout)
- Toilet paper
- Wipes
- Snacks
- Water
- Beans
- Rice
- Individual Chef Boyardee meals
If you’re able to help with any of these things please contact us.
We’ll also be posting these needs here on our site.
And if you’re open to being part of this group, simply contact us and we will add you to our email list. Please feel free to share this information with others who would be interested, too.
With gratitude for all you do,
Judith Dittman
CEO