Our response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

A note from Neighborhood House

Re: Our response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

While coronavirus is changing so much about the way we are living our lives, it isn’t changing one thing: our deep commitment to families in our community who look to Neighborhood House for help during difficult times.

We know that hard-working families who are living in poverty, including seniors and children, will be hit hardest during this time of economic downturn, reduced or eliminated work, and school cancellation caused by COVID-19. At the same time, we feel that Neighborhood House must be part of the global effort to create greater social distance and slow the spread of coronavirus. Therefore, beginning Monday, March 16, Neighborhood House will suspend non-essential programming. Food support and crisis housing support will remain available to our participants with the greatest need.

What does this mean?

• If you are a participant in a Neighborhood House program:
  –  Adult Education, childcare, and preschool classes are canceled. Teachers are working at home and are concentrating on future plans for your classes. You can stay in touch with them with an email message or on the Adult Education Facebook group;
  –  All programming for youth is canceled for at least two weeks;
  –  All Family Centers are closed.  If it is an emergency please call the Wellstone Center at 651-789-2500 and someone will get back to you.
• If you need help with food or housing:
  The Food Markets will remain open and food will be available for you. If you are in a high-risk group (over 60 years old or have a health concern), please call ahead.
  –  Fresh Produce Distribution and Bonus Thursday are canceled;
  –  There will be support for you if you are in a housing crisis situation. Please call us at 651-793-7340 with your name and phone number and a staff member will return your call.
• If you are a volunteer:
  –  We encourage our volunteers to be safe and make the best decision for you and your situation. If you are able and willing, our food support program continues to need volunteers. Please see our website for shifts: org/volunteer.
• If you want to support Neighborhood House:
  –  This month is March Food Drive, our biggest food fundraising effort of the year and we know that the closure of workplaces, places of worship, and schools mean that our greatest food drive partners will not be able to participate in usual ways. And, we are projecting that the need in our food markets will increase. If you are able, please consider making a gift today to ensure that we can meet the need of our community. Donate today.

There is so much we don’t know yet with the short-term and long-term impact of the spread of coronavirus and we want to assure you that the leadership team and I are in constant communication to make decisions as needed. We know that we are not alone and that our efforts, when combined with others, will make a difference for everyone in our state.

All of us at Neighborhood House are so very grateful for each of you. Your participation in our programs, your contributions, and your collaboration make life just a bit brighter for others. We do not take that for granted and hope that in the very near future, we will be able to see this as another time that we worked together to make lives better.

I wish all of you and your families the best during this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Nancy Q. Brady
President