The following list is presented in hopes of providing resources that illuminate the condition of our community and offer perspectives and experiences that may afford a broader and better understanding of the inequities of our culture’s systems, presently in place.

The contents of this list is intended to offer new perspectives and insights, and present a broader and deeper understanding of the difficult, long work that needs to be done to create equity and inclusion for all of our community members.

This is not an exhaustive list but I hope is scratches the surface and inspires further investigation.

Grants Chairs JoAnn Sanditz and Sharon Abel reached out to our 2020-2021 cohort of grantees and asked how they were managing to continue their work during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The following is what each of the organizations reported in mid-May, what the challenges are and how they are continuing to support their clients.  Look for an update in the July newsletter.

St. Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective

Susan Colangelo, President  

• May podcasts will be about Covid-19 and trauma in the African American community. Interest in facts vs. fiction (e.g. rampant conspiracy theories that white people created the virus to unleash on blacks and got out of control).
• Problems for youth: lack of food, cannot get food stamps, having to move in with older siblings/others, limited transportation, jobs gone, lack of money, hangout places closed. Risky behavior can include not wearing masks, partying in basements. Kids get into trouble quickly. Need help to be positive; staying connected critical.
• Recruiting youth in community to participate in Story Stitchers difficult when cannot be physically present.
• How members of SOS can help: 
  • Need connections to other organizations that work with youth ages 16-24. Interested in collaborations.
    Need links to experts for podcast topics (ex: coping with grief as result of violence, loss, pandemic).
    Susan Colangelo very excited about establishing partnership with SOS and anticipates the multi-year funding opening doors to additional resources and new opportunities.

Almost Home

Reona Wise, Executive Director  

• At the guidance of the CDC, Almost Home went remote for two weeks.
• Their biggest challenges have been the young moms with the shelter in place. There have been heightened emotions along with the struggle of motivating them to keep their goals while some of the educational components of what they have been working on have shut down.
• Childcare has been a huge struggle. Two mothers were hired during this time but could not go to the jobs because of lack of childcare.
• Reona Wise (ED) feels that the heightened emotions of not only their situation, but the lack of socialization and the feeling that the women get when they get 1 step ahead, but 2 steps back have been difficult.
• Therapy services have been busy and they have been using Tele-Health, not only for current clients but for alumni as well.
• Covid-19 has made the Almost Home staff reevaluate programming more closely and what they can do in crisis situations.  Reona said they have been assessing how better to coordinate services with maternity/residential services and asking themselves if there is something more they can do programmatically. They need to find a better way to address situations that arise when they don’t have anywhere to put a pregnant mother, instead of just giving her numbers to call.  Reona feels that Covid-19 has made them look at these crisis situations more clearly.
• Almost Home’s Board has been extremely helpful during this time and they feel confident that they will be back full force as soon as they can.
• Almost Home usually has a baby shower in August, though this year it will probably be virtual.  They would love SOS member participation.

Angels’ Arms

Bess Wilfong, Executive Director  

1. How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the ability of your organization to provide normal programming? 

• Since all of the foster children are home all of the time now and many of their services have been put on hold, the foster parents in our homes are having to explore alternative ways to meet their needs and to occupy their time. Angels’ Arms has never put a focus on providing food for our families, but now we are having to provide food and gift cards to them since they are responsible for 3 meals a day and snacks for 6-7 children.
• We have cancelled our monthly group activities, which gave the families time to interact and have time to let off stress.
• We have had to turn down some donations in an effort to limit physical contact.
• We usually reach out to supporters to provide some of our older youth who are in need of furniture and other items, but that isn’t possible due to limiting contact. We are having to purchase these items.
• Typically we have volunteer groups involved in many of our maintenance-related projects in our homes, but again, we’d had to put a halt to those and are paying for maintenance work.
• We’ve had to shift our attention and time to transforming our events into virtual events.
• We’ve cancelled graduation and birthday parties for the youth and are coming up with various ideas to celebrate their accomplishments.

2. What kind of help do you need to support your mission? 

• We are having to reallocate funds toward groceries and other essentials for the families, and we’re spending much more on maintenance of our 13 homes.

3. What do your clients need? 

• With all of the children at home 24/7, our foster parents need creative ways to entertain and stimulate these active minds. They’re running out of ways to occupy their time. Again, with multiple children in each home, many of whom exhibit wild and extreme behaviors, our parents are challenged every day. I wish we could find a way to give all of the parents a break.

4. What have you been able to accomplish in spite of COVID-19? 

• We’re still able to provide a safe and loving family to every child who enters one of our homes (and the numbers are increasing).
• We have reached out to our supporters to participate in our grocery drop-off program and the meal drop-off program, and they’re responding in a big way.
• This week we’re hosting our virtual Sip & Savor event that’s usually held at the Frontenac Hilton in the evening.

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, STL Chapter

Chris Martinez, Executive Director  

• Significant impact on normal programming. Goal for closer physical relationships with clients cannot take place.
• Food Allergy Panels – moved to virtual platforms. Hard to build personal relationships.
• Training videos with young kids learning to use inhalers could not be filmed.
• Still can provide medications through pharmacy delivery – no slow down.
• Fund raising event moved to virtual went fairly well but missed interaction and relationship building.
• Covid is a respiratory disease. Science out on impact of virus on asthma and allergies. May be a greater risk for complications if contract Covid – 19. May be extended effects such as lung scarring and reduced immunity. Could be really serious if reduced lung capacity. Monitoring on-going research.
• What clients need: masks, gloves, deliveries, connectivity and education where to get what is needed.
• Got masks from company in CA but more needed to supply kids, families, school nurses, etc.
• Continued access to multiple sources of medication. Some shortages and price increases for medications being used in greater amounts for Covid treatment.
• Want to be better prepared for next virus that may be tougher on kids. Don’t have masks, gloves, testing. How could Asthma and Allergy be part of providing tests and all that families need? Need to start conceptual/strategic planning for future now.
• New initiative being considered: Welcome Kit Backpacks for young kids. Ex: 7 year-old with recent food allergy diagnosis needs a lot of education & emotional support for both the kid and the family. Idea is for families to be referred to Asthma and Allergy at the point of diagnosis. Need funders to underwrite backpacks containing educational info, non-allergic stuffed animal, medical supplies, etc. Not possible right now.

Eye Thrive

Kate McKearn, Executive Director  

• Eye Thrive partners with St. Louis County Library to offer their vision screening services at library branch locations. The Library is closed until the end of June which will delay the Eye Thrive Mobile Vision Clinic (a 38 foot RV) from offering back to school vision screening until at least July. This is the service SOS funds is supporting. Timelines may need to be extended.
• Glasses are a basic need. A generous donor has offered a challenge grant to match 1:1 any donations up to $50,000 by the end of May to support the Expansion Replacement Glasses Program. $39,000 raised so far and they anticipate reaching the $50,000 goal for a total of $100,000 to underwrite replacement glasses for kids.
• Challenge is getting the word out about the new Replacement Glasses Program. Currently the order form for replacement glasses has been placed in food bags distributed to families on Fridays at select County Library parking lots. Requires valid prescription. Eye Thrive will contact the prescribing doctor if the prescription has been lost. Parents just need to fill out the form and return to Eye Thrive.
• Help is needed to get the program form out to any one or any agency that can distribute it to families in need. No time limit on this program. Would appreciate if SOS could help promote this within our agency network.
• Eye Thrive has gotten feedback from parents at Friday meal distribution at the libraries. Getting free replacement glasses is “one less thing to worry about”. The pandemic has created overwhelming problems for families. Parents are trying to work with kids at home, sometimes working double shifts, older kids taking care of younger ones, lost jobs. Even middle class families are facing economic crisis – many for the first time in their lives. This is the reason income restrictions have been dropped for access to Eye Thrive services.

Home Sweet Home

Betsy Reznicek, Executive Director  

• Suspended direct services on March 17 and will go back to services using a three stage approach. Will start back by only using one truck in first stage.
• On a positive note, HSH has learned how to engage their volunteers in different ways. They sent out a survey and discovered ways to improve volunteer services and training and various ways to influence care and address trauma.

Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project

Jessica Mayo, Co-Director  

• Normal business involved many in-person meetings. Now all on phone and video. Going much better than expected. Some aspects more efficient but miss personal relationship building.
• Immigration courts closed. Still deadlines to meet. Good outcomes on green cards, work permits, case management referrals for food, unemployment insurance, etc.
• What clients need is money. Many immigrants work in restaurants and cleaning homes. No jobs now and hit hard. Recently MICA received funding for one time redistribution of cash to clients.
• Office staffing is in transition. Mostly working from home now. Planning for staff to come back in rotating shifts over summer.
• Experimenting with virtual events. Will have virtual happy hour on May 14 to test for future events such as fall fundraiser, trivia night, if cannot safely host in-person.

Pianos for People

Matt Brinkman, Executive Director  

• All piano lessons continuing online using Zoom, Skype or Facetime or by phone for those without internet access. 96% of their students remain engaged. Teachers have been great Adding Saturday lessons in Ferguson in the fall at the request of parents. This will increase Ferguson enrollment.
• Plan to pilot a music therapy class in the fall. Have a teacher who is both an MSW and a music therapist. Focus on emotionally connecting with music.
• The “heart and soul” of Pianos for People is the student-teacher relationship. Transitioning to virtual lessons has allowed teachers to have a window into the students’ home lives and what music means to them. These are low income families that are hurt the worst. Many parents worked in restaurants, service jobs, and are now unemployed.

What students need:  

• Internet access (many kids taking lessons on phone; Charter Spectrum giving free internet to some; Pianos for People linking families to internet services as possible).

Urban Harvest

Clare Higgins Siegel, Executive Director  

1. How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the ability of your organization to provide normal programming? 

• We still anticipate growing 5,000 pounds and distributing at least 3,000 pounds of food to those in need (60%).  It seems like now, more than ever, providing healthy food to those in need is of the utmost importance.
• More realistic objectives would be to educate at least 15 interns and reach 1,300 people through engagement activities.  We will keep SOS updated as we navigate our season.
• As an organization that serves communities experiencing food insecurity, our main focus right now is food production and distribution — our ultimate goal is to work ourselves out of jobs.
• We’ve been converting our programming online and have been generating interest in our videos and educational resources. We’ve also received increased interest in our seed donation program and expect to provide the community with more than we’d previously outlined: 400 seed packets (vs 300).

Volunteers in Medicine

Filippo Ferrigni MD, Medical Director  

• Covid-19 hasn’t broken VIM’s stride!
• Doctors are seeing patients over video chats, Face Time, etc. If necessary, at the end of the day, they even meet a patient out by their car. According to Dr. Ferrigni, “We do what we do and in spite of everything, we do it reasonably well.”
• VIM is using this time to reconfigure the clinic physically. They are installing some barriers and walls and reconfiguring the blood draw space so that it is in a contained area.