There’s no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic is tragic. People have died; more likely will. Others are sick, or will be soon. Thousands right here in Jackson County are losing jobs and income. Many don’t know where they’ll get food or essentials for their families.
Yet from this crisis we see the power of compassion and generosity impacting people in positive ways.
Much of that impact comes from the community’s support of our COVID-19 Response Fund. Created by United Way and the Jackson Community Foundation, the Fund is helping meet the needs of households throughout the county.
Partial To Girls: Lifting Up Women & Families
In Jackson County, 37% of families with children live below the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) threshold, meaning they struggle financially. Well over a third of households countywide are single-parent households, nearly all of them female-led.
Salena Taylor created Partial To Girls two years ago to support underserved women and children in the Jackson area. A tough period in her own life prompted her mission.
“I remember the days when no one cared enough to serve or help me,” Taylor said. “I never want another woman or child to have to endure that life.”
The effects of COVID-19 on the community put her determination to the test. Thankfully, people stepped up to help—including United Way of Jackson County. Using dollars from the COVID-19 Response Fund, Taylor and United Way staff purchased diapers, formula, wipes and other essentials. With this support, Partial To Girls volunteers have been able to serve more than 800 families.
“United Way of Jackson has been a game-changer and a life-saver for the community,” Taylor said. “The caring staff dedication to shopping all day and evening to ensure I have that special brand of milk for a sick baby, a special brand of diaper, extra feminine hygiene products for mothers, gas cards for the volunteers to drive to drop off the items to the families.”
How Laundry Service Makes a Difference
With the state-mandated stay-at-home order in place, routine tasks can become problematic. One of them: laundry. Many people don’t have washing machines at home, or they rely on family members to keep them in clean clothes.
That’s where Together We Can Make A Difference stepped in. With a $500 grant from the COVID-19 Response Fund, the church-based agency started picking up, washing and delivering laundry for in-need families in early April. On their first day, volunteers donned masks and gloves and did 34 loads of laundry for five families, totaling 17 people, at a local laundromat. The second day they served six families, totaling 20 people, with 40 loads.
Their work continues, meeting a major need identified by the community.
Serving the Homeless: The Second Chapter
Shortly after “social distancing” became the norm, the Jackson InterFaith Shelter found itself crowded with homeless people—a virtual petri dish for cultivating the novel coronavirus.
A phone call to United Way sparked a rapid response. Within hours, local hotels offered rooms at a huge discount at United Way’s request, the City of Jackson stepped up with transportation, and dozens of InterFaith clients moved in for a week while the shelter was cleaned, repaired and repurposed for social distancing. United Way’s COVID-19 Response Fund paid the $9,514 hotel bill.
“It’s amazing how quickly people partnered together, met the needs and just said, ‘How can I help?’” said Steve Castle, CEO of Jackson InterFaith Shelter. There’s more to this story here (from the Jackson Citizen Patriot) and here (from the Good Things Going video series).
Since then, some of InterFaith’s clients have found other living arrangements—with an assist through Central Michigan 2-1-1, a United Way partner—and the current headcount is low enough to maintain social distancing.
“United Way probably prevented a huge health disaster here in Jackson by getting the shelter cleared out early,” Castle said.
‘United’ is in Our Name
Ken Toll, President & CEO of United Way of Jackson County, said the pandemic is unlike anything Jackson has faced in over a century, but the community’s response is a familiar song.
“I describe Jackson as ‘scrappy.’ We don’t back down. We stand up, stand firm and stand together,” Toll said. “COVID-19 is one of our toughest fights ever, but I’m seeing what I always see Jackson do: uniting for the benefit of everyone.
“That’s what United Way does, too. In fact, ‘united’ is in our name. And it’s going to take all of us, united together, to get through this challenge,” he added.
United Way is now looking at how it can strengthen the social safety net by supporting nonprofits and community groups that are struggling because of the pandemic. Watch this website and our social media for more news on how the COVID-19 Response Fund is making a difference.
If you’d like to support the Response Fund, click here or text VIRUS to 91999.