Lives in Jackson County continue to be affected by COVID-19 and its fallout. At the same time, our community is stepping up to lessen the blow in countless ways. We’re pleased to bring you some more good tales from the pandemic.
Setting the Standard of Generosity
Of the many words that describe Jackson County, one in particular stands out: generosity.
When the pandemic hit, United Way and the Jackson Community Foundation came together to create the COVID-19 Response Fund. The fund covers the cost of food, household essentials and vital services for people in need; and it provides operational support for the network of nonprofits that make up our community’s social safety net.
As of today, the fund has raised more than $294,000. Local businesses and foundations provided vital support, and we can’t thank them enough. And there’s another element worth celebrating: Individual donors—people who have given of their own resources—have raised over $35,000. Those generous personal gifts outstrip individual donations in Michigan communities far bigger than Jackson County!
Thanks to this generosity, the fund has invested $167,000 so far to feed families, shelter the homeless, provide household essentials (96,801 items so far), and keep vital nonprofits afloat. Requests for help keep pouring in, and we’ll keep responding. We hope you will, too! Check out our COVID-19 Response Fund dashboard.
Love INC Meets Basic Needs
Jackson area churches formed Love INC to serve their community. When COVID-19 struck, they faced an unsettling challenge. Many of their usual volunteers fell into a high-risk group, making exposure to the coronavirus a dangerous proposition for them. They also struggled to find enough needed items to meet the demand.
Fortunately, United Way and Central Michigan 2-1-1 helped Love INC build a roster of volunteers to help deliver basic household essentials to people in need. And the team connected with the resources provided through the Jackson COVID-19 Action Network (JCAN), which gathers purchased and donated items at the YMCA and Boos Center.
Currently, Love INC helps about 40 households every week. Volunteers pick up personal care and household cleaning items from the Boos Center—where other volunteers have packages sanitized and ready to go—and deliver them across Jackson County.
YMCA Keeps Families Fed
Low-income individuals and families are getting food and essential items through the YMCA, a key partner in JCAN. An estimated 95% of the people it serves are low-income.
Food offered at the YMCA comes from Jackson Public Schools, which has been providing at least 35,000 meals weekly for kids across the community. On top of this, the YMCA is one of two locations designated by JCAN to gather and make available to distribute household essentials—baby formula, diapers, cleaning supplies, etc.
When families come in, YMCA staff determine each family’s needs and provide items they have on hand. Diapers are a huge need, and the community is working hard to meet it. Since the effort began, more than 32,000 diapers have been distributed in Jackson County.
‘Hunger is Real’
Moved by reports of historically high demand at local food pantries and soup kitchens, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Bonnie A. Perry called on the people of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan to respond by putting their faith into action.
And wow, did they!
The diocese combined money from a fund established in 1940 to assist people with tuberculosis, with gifts from All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Pontiac and Christ Church Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills to create a $100,000 fund, and challenged people in the 76 congregations throughout the diocese to match it. Collectively, the diocese and its members raised $220,000 to support pantries and food programs. Some $25,000 came to Jackson County through United Way.
“With more than a million unemployed in our state, people from all areas of life: rural communities, suburbs, and cities, are finding it difficult to feed their families,” Perry said. “Hunger is real and hunger is debilitating. As people of faith, we want to answer Jesus’ call to ‘feed the hungry’.”
United Today, United Tomorrow
Even as United Way focuses on immediate needs, it’s looking at how it can help drive recovery beyond the pandemic.
“We know that the impact of COVID-19 on our community isn’t going to vanish even after the virus is defeated,” said Ken Toll, President & CEO of United Way of Jackson County. “Thousands of people are furloughed or laid off. Many of them will be unemployed for a long time. That means long-term negative effects on families, especially ALICE families that are already struggling financially.
“I think this crisis has shown how United Way can rally resources and partner across sectors to tackle urgent needs. That’s good, and we’ll keep doing that. But we also have to start looking at long-term needs and how we can help Jackson County rebuild and restore lives,” Toll added.
“One thing is clear: We can’t do that alone. No one can. Just as we’ve seen throughout the pandemic, it will take the partnership, compassion and determination that makes Jackson County great.”