While everyone has said good riddance to 2020, we will look back on it as the year our donors and the community came out to support our mission in an unprecedented fashion. When we asked, you said Yes!
In the spring we started canceling events because of the dangers of large gatherings where the coronavirus spreads. First, it was Roses & Rosé, then the Volunteer Appreciation luncheon. Our quarterly campus tours were canceled too. Ultimately, all in-person events for the year were canceled, with the exception of the Clubs & Cocktails golf scramble, which was held outdoors. Our donors rallied and continued to generously fund our mission.
In the early stages of the pandemic, safely providing services to those in need became a challenge. Personal protection equipment (PPE) was, and still is, a necessity. Hand sanitizer and cleaning solutions strong enough to kill the virus were at the top of everyone’s supply list.
So many volunteers began sewing masks, as existing stock from manufacturers disappeared quickly. Once stock of PPE was replenished, our friends and partners like Metro United Way, Oxmoor Ford, U.S. Census Bureau, and others dropped off cases of masks.
Our Food Pantry provides a vital safety net for those experiencing food insecurity and it is staffed and run completely by volunteers, many of them falling into the high-risk group for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19. As our regular volunteers stepped aside, we reached out and asked for help. The response was overwhelming. With a new team of volunteers, the food pantry was able to continue supplying much-needed groceries, uninterrupted. It’s also important to note that with a few adjustments to how the food is handed out and a steady supply of food from Dare to Care and generous donors, the Food Pantry has remained open.
We have always prided ourselves on the fact that the Open Hand Kitchen offers family-style dining, but the need for social distancing has prevented that. In order to continue to provide two meals a day, we switched to handing out to-go meals. In April and May, Brown-Forman provided two meals each day to hand out at the Open Hand Kitchen. This donation helped us transition to new kitchen procedures and guaranteed that a meal was available to anyone that needed it.
Santa Shop looked much different this year. Unable to allow parents to shop in the Family Success Center, we offered a pick-up day so that children in need would still find something under the Christmas tree. With the help of local businesses, parishes, individuals, and Toys for Tots, Santa Shop was still able to provide some welcome Christmas cheer this year.
There are so many more to thank for their generosity and support in 2020. Know that we appreciate each and every one of you. Your continued support will allow us to provide uninterrupted services to those that will need it most in 2021 and beyond.
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