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The United Way of Central Missouri is expected today to begin delivering checks to partner agencies that applied for grants announced late last week.
The United Way said Friday it was to make $50,000 available to any of its 28 partner agencies that were being adversely affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The Emergency COVID-19 Grant is to be used to serve the most vulnerable people in the community for immediate, critical basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, child care, utility assistance and more, local United Way President Ann Bax said.
The local organization serves Camden, Cole, Maries, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage, Phelps and southern Callaway counties.
"This application process is much more expedited (than the normal process)," Bax said. "So many of our agencies' regular work has been impacted, and they have taken on added work."
To help stop the spread of the disease, Missouri's schools have closed, businesses have shuttered and health officials have prohibited gatherings of 10 or more people, with few exceptions.
"(Check recipients) can either expand their services, add services to respond to the needs of the community, or just keep their typical services," Bax said.
Data indicate COVID-19 poses a higher risk of death for older patients and those with compromised immune systems. Younger people are generally not affected as severely unless they have an underlying health issue.
In addition to announcing the grant opportunity Friday, the local United Way set up a COVID-19 Response Fund to support local nonprofit health and human service agencies in the area.
"We've had several people call and ask how they can give," Bax said. "We certainly want to make that opportunity available. This fund will be for any agency, not just our partners."
People wishing to contribute to the fund should do so on the local United Way website at unitedwaycemo.org or by texting MIDMOCOVID to 41444. Checks made payable to United Way of Central Missouri can be mailed to the United Way office at 205 Alameda Drive, Jefferson City, MO, 65109. Checks should note "COVID-19 Response Fund" in the memo field.
The COVID-19 fund replaces the Disaster Response Fund on the nonprofit's website. That fund was put in place hours after an EF-3 tornado struck Miller and Cole counties May 22, 2019. By late November, the disaster fund had received more than $340,000. Those funds are still used to help families affected by the tornado, Bax said.
The good news for United Way of Central Missouri is that it has responded to a disaster recently and has learned from the process. The bad news is that it has been through a disaster recently, and the recovery continues.
Case managers at Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri, which is resolving tornado victims' cases through the long-term recovery process, are reaching out to tornado survivors, Bax said.
"We are thinking of taking staff time and going back to disaster survivors," she said. "So many are just getting their legs back under them. We know that many have gotten knocked back down again by COVID-19."
And the United Way is reaching out to see how it might help in a timely manner, she continued.
The area's Long-Term Recovery Committee knew getting repairs done to housing units would take a long time. Contractors were so saturated with work following the tornado, they oftentimes couldn't even take time out of their busy schedules to bid jobs.
Now many, because of a need to practice social distancing, have cut way back on the work they do.
That all leads to more demands on United Way partner agencies, Bax said.
Agencies were over capacity before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now they need more help.
To help address needs, the organization is recommending people visit stlvolunteer.org/unitedwaycemo to find volunteer opportunities.
Bax reminds people that they must still obey social distancing guidelines.
Seniors make up a major portion of the United Way's volunteer network, she said. However, they are also among the most vulnerable for severe illness if they come into contact with the COVID-19 virus.
"We want to be very cognizant of protecting every volunteer," she said. "We make every effort to talk about that."
For example, all the mobile food pantries done in cooperation with the Food Bank For Central & Northeast Missouri are continuing to deliver food to those most in need, she said. But they've made changes.
United Way staff volunteered Wednesday at the mobile pantry outside the Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson City.
"We instituted a new model. We tried to have sort of a 'drive-thru' approach," Bax said. "We packed things in boxes, and a few of us carried them to the cars to maintain that social distancing as best we can."
Another mobile pantry will take place Wednesday in St. Martins.
"We can park the mobile pantry in front of the school and just have the cars line up," she said. "The Boys & Girls Club worked pretty well. We'll have it more refined."
Under today's circumstances, the United Way sees itself as an organization that can mobilize volunteers and resources, she said. It hopes to assist its partner agencies and help human service agencies that are doing great things.
"We understand that our community has supported us in an incredible manner throughout the years," Bax said. "We continue to be responsive to the community. We feel blessed that we are able to offer those emergency grants."