Bringing Hope and Help in the Midst of COVID-19 in Livingston County
With a presence in almost every ZIP code in America, The Salvation Army is uniquely positioned to respond to the unique needs of people living in poverty. These challenges are exponentially magnified during times of crisis, including pandemics like coronavirus (COVID-19). Across the United States, we are stepping up to the challenge and continue to serve the most vulnerable populations in each community. This is just one of many stories of how we are meeting the needs of those who rely on The Salvation Army during difficult times.
From Major Prezza Morrison:
Due to the COVID-19 emergency, we have implemented a Mobile Lunch Program that served almost 2,500 meals to families in need in the last 2 weeks. We have also begun a partnership with Howell Public Schools, providing families with box of breakfast, lunch, and snack items to last a week. We will be providing food in this way through April 20. This is a huge undertaking for us, and we need supporters to come alongside us in this endeavor.
Our food pantry has doubled the number of people served. In a normal month we assist about 36 people, in the 2 weeks of COVID we have served 68 people.
Additionally, we have taken a larger role in shelter services for the community. Normally we share these with Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency, but their budget is not allowing them to support this service any longer. The Salvation Army is now the primary provider of shelter for Livingston County. Because of that, we have doubled our shelter assistance. We are honored to serve the community this way, and we encourage those who are able to donate to our mission. The cost for us to continue the food services (mobile lunch, schools and additional pantry clients) and the new shelter services for the next 3 months will be almost $150,000. Shelter is approximately $10,000 a month and food needs are approximately $35,000 a month.
We also encourage everyone to join our online Sunday services at 11 am on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/303797759746449/
If you need help or want to give help, find your local Corps Community Center and get connected! You can also make a donation to support our work in Livingston County.