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“The pandemic has hurt so many people in so many ways,” said Melinda Marble, communications coordinator for Hospice Austin, a nonprofit hospice service.
Jobs went away or working hours were reduced. Personal resources are virtual or switched off. The prices of groceries, rent and gasoline rose.
Families already tense because of medical concerns, immigration status, or systemic poverty felt the pain of the pandemic even more.
“It was a heartbreaking time to see how desperate the people are, just the economic divide in our community,” said Simone Talma Flowers, executive director of Interfaith Action of Central Texas, which focuses on many community needs, including helping refugees .
Continue reading: Season for Caring, Tahaguas Abraha: UT nursing students left their home in Africa for better education
How to donate: Donate to Statesman Season for Caring
Hospice Austin and Interfaith Action of Central Texas are two of the local nonprofits that benefited from the Statesman Season for Caring program.
Today the Statesman launches his 23rd Season for Caring program with 11 local nonprofits: Any Baby Can, Austin Palliative Care, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area, Dress for Success Austin, Family Eldercare, Foundation Communities, Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, Austin Hospice, Central Texas Interfaith Campaign, Central Texas Meals on Wheels, and Wonders & Wonders.
Since 1999, Season for Caring has donated $ 15.2 million to local nonprofits, including over $ 1.5 million from last year’s program. This year donations from the Sheth family will be replenished until Christmas.
The selected local nonprofits use the Season for Caring donations to help the families featured in the program first, and they can then be used to help hundreds of other customers with basic needs. Season for Caring becomes the emergency fund for these nonprofits.
The power of giving: Austin’s love language: $ 1.5 million donated to Season for Caring during a pandemic
The story goes on
Throughout the pandemic, the Statesman Season for Caring grants have helped hundreds of families in central Texas pay rent, keep electricity running, and afford groceries, bus bills, and medical expenses.
“We could support families when they felt like things were really, really difficult,” said Talma Flowers. Interfaith Action of Central Texas used last year’s Season for Caring Scholarships to help more than 300 people with rental and grocery gift cards, and technology that helps refugees connect with resources.
Without these grants, “we would not be able to address some of these individual problems that families face,” said Talma Flowers. “We could give a little, but nothing substantial. This is where the difference with Season for Caring comes into play.”
Learn more: How to Help Families through the Statesman Season for Caring program
Austin Hospice used last year’s season-for-care money on grocery gift cards, rental assistance, air conditioning, towels, bedding, a scale, plane ticket, bug spray, socks, lamp – items large and small that its customers needed.
“We can help ease this terrible time a little and focus on your quality of life,” said Marble.
Without the Season for Caring funding, Marble said, “we couldn’t keep people in their homes.”
That would mean the people Austin Hospice serves may have to spend their days in a nursing home with their families around. Their families could not receive any rent allowance either.
Continue reading: Hospice Austin announces new CEO as Marjorie Mulanax retires after 30 years
The sisters Marlen López Guzman (13) and Samantha Menchu López (4) were harassed and beaten while driving the bus last year. Her family came from Guatemala to give the girls a chance for a better life. You have been nominated for Season for Caring by Foundation Communities.
“Season for Caring is not only important to our featured families,” said Michelle Le, coordinator for special projects for charities that offer their customers affordable housing and other financial services.
Season for Caring delivered $ 50,000 to emergency rental funds and $ 60,000 jump in 2020 to Foundation Communities earlier this year, she said.
Without Season for Caring, the families in the community of foundations struggling would continue to default on rent while trying to obtain rental subsidies through government funds. You may face eviction.
During the pandemic, the foundation communities saw even more requests for emergency help for rent as families lost their jobs, got sick or lacked day care, Le said.
Continue reading: Season for Care, Arelis López Guzman: In search of a safer life for her daughters after the attack
Season for Caring funds help social workers “provide more person-centered services because everyone’s needs are different,” said Blake Smith, development and communications specialist at Family Eldercare.
Tahagua’s Abraha (20) plays with her cousins Adonai Abraha (7) and Yowhan’s Abraha (1) in the family home. Tahaguas Abraha fled Eritrea at the age of 12 and lived in a refugee camp in Ethiopia until she was able to enter the USA. She is now a Nursing Student at the University of Texas. The family was nominated by Interfaith Action of Central Texas.
This year, Family Eldercare used Season for Caring funds to help more than 150 customers with prescriptions, dental care, pest control, furniture, legal services, and obtaining important documents such as birth certificates, as well as rent, utilities, and transportation.
“Having these resources in hand helps our frontline people respond much faster and more efficiently to customer needs,” said Smith. “Employees have more time to spend with customers instead of focusing on finding the right funding source to meet their specific needs.”
Continue reading: Season for Caring, Cheryl Selby: Widow, cancer survivor, was almost homeless
Many of the Season for Caring partner’s nonprofits are funded primarily through dedicated grants. While Season for Caring donations cannot be used for overhead expenses, they can be used for anything that provides direct customer care.
“They’re really basic needs,” said Jennifer Peterson, director of public relations and strategic partnerships for Any Baby Can, which is focused on empowering families with a focus on children with special needs. “It was food; it was diapers; it was things that fed them.”
Continue reading: Season for Caring, Natalia Castillo: Every day brings blessings to the mother of a fragile child
Peterson said that Season for Caring funding enables families to focus on their children’s health and educational needs instead of focusing on staying in shelter.
Without the Season for Caring funding, we’d have to say “no” to families we really know are in need, “Peterson said. “‘No, we can’t help you with food or rent.’ It’s just devastating. “
Donate to Season for Caring
• Visit Statesman.com/seasonforcaring for more stories.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Impact of the COVID Pandemic on Austin: Statesman Launches Season for Caring
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