Staying Connected In Indianapolis: Serving Our Communities Through the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered the structure of daily life for many families. Online learning and job changes have created much more time for togetherness. As a result, some families are looking for creative opportunities to continue engaging in positive ways during their time at home together.
Captain Brenna Lee and Lieutenant Vinal Lee, Corps officers at The Salvation Army Fountain Square, are working hard to keep the families of their Corps community engaged during the COVID-19 pandemic. With youth and family nights temporarily on hold, the Corps scouting programs are unable to meet to complete their typical character-building activities. Captain Brenna instead provided character building packets to families involved in the youth programs. Each week, Captain Brenna then posts weekly troop challenges for the families to complete together. Parents in the community have shared with Captain Brenna that this has brought scripture into the home in a new way. “They’re reading together in the evenings, taking time to pray together, and doing the activities together, which is really cool,” Captain Brenna said.
The Corps officers have also been engaging their Corps community in creative ways through social media. For example, families are encouraged to participate in fun events such as in-home cupcake wars, where kids make and decorate cupcakes and submit their photos online.
The Ruth Lilly Women & Children’s Center is also utilizing new resources to care for the families in their shelter. School closures in Indianapolis have resulted in children requiring more resources while they are out of school. This has led to an increase in demand for food in communities like the Women and Children’s Center. Luckily, some local establishments have taken the opportunity to donate food to the Women & Children’s Center. The shelter has received donations from companies such as Prime Inc., Panera Bread, NCAA, Beef & Boards, Smokey Bones, and Logan’s Steakhouse, as well as fresh fruit donations from places like Whole Foods and Second Helpings. These donations will help the team at WCC to feed the residents during these uncertain times. Thank you to all of these organizations for their tremendous support!