It’s been nearly a year since the first shutdown orders were issued to stave off the spread of the coronavirus. Since then, so many things have changed, but we remain focused on our mission.
Vaccinations
All St. Vincent de Paul Louisville staff who work directly with our clients were vaccinated against the coronavirus in January. Vaccinations will go a long way towards keeping clients and staff safe.
Over the course of the year, we have had several members of staff contract COVID-19 though disruptions have been minimal. It seems no one has gone untouched by the pandemic, but we count ourselves as lucky that it has not been as bad as it could have been.
We have staff and clients to thank for following the guidelines that have slowed the virus’s spread.
Feeding Those in Need
We saw an overall decline in the number of meals served at the Open Hand Kitchen in 2020. In January 2020, the peak was with 11,856 meals served that month, with October being the lowest month with only 7,366 meals served. In 2019, we served an average of 11,774 meals per month. 2020 saw that number drop to 9,080 per month.
Thanks to donors, Dare to Care, and our corporate partners, there’s been no shortage of meals available at the Open Hand Kitchen. Since the significant drop began in March 2020, it’s safe to assume that the need to close the dining area and only provide take-away meals impacted the number of people served.
On the other hand, the Food Pantry saw a significant increase in the number of households served. In March 2020, the Food Pantry served 393 families. A month later, in April, the number of households dramatically jumped to 591. That surge was not seen again until September, but the numbers remained high through 2020.
Thanks to donors and Dare to Care, our Food Pantry remained well-stocked, and the volunteers were able to meet the increased demand.
Volunteers
Probably the most dramatic change at St. Vincent de Paul Louisville has been the number of volunteer opportunities available since the shutdown began. In 2019, our volunteers logged an impressive 66,731 hours of service. In 2020, that number sank to 18,356. The risk of spreading the coronavirus is too significant to maintain the level of volunteer activity we usually see on campus.
Staff
Our maintenance staff continues to clean and clean and then clean some more. The level of commitment is truly amazing and has been instrumental in keeping the spread down.
Case managers continue to work from home when possible, though programs like Waypoint House require 24-hour staffing.
We continue to help students with NTI in the Family Success Center and will continue to do so until students can return to the classroom. It is important that all children have access to support and technology so no one falls through the cracks.
Despite some significant shortfalls in revenue from the closure of the thrift stores early in the pandemic, your support has helped us be able to achieve the wonderful successes above and not have to limit any program delivery. We thank you for your continued support in 2021 as we work hard to support our clients.
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