During this critical time for our communities, CHNA 20 has stayed in touch with our many partner agencies to provide support, guidance and a listening ear. We are inspired by the incredible work that has been done in our region to shift traditional models and provide needed services to residents despite the challenges of the pandemic. We’re pleased to highlight some of the efforts of our partners and friends, and to share their stories of success, hope and inspiration.
“It was so wonderful to hear a friendly voice after our ordeal. And without a delivery, we didn’t know how we were going to get food.”
Fred* and his brother George* share a home in Weymouth and, in their late seventies, are both in frail health. For the past few years, they’ve faithfully visited Quincy Community Action Program’s (QCAP) Southwest Community Food Center. But in 2019, both brothers fell ill and were hospitalized. The toll on their health left them vulnerable during the pandemic. Both Fred and George contracted COVID-19.
Fortunately, their friends at QCAP were able to help as the brothers recovered from their long illness. Through a partnership with the drivers at Bay State Community Services, the Southwest Community Food Center (SWCFC) has been offering home deliveries of staple food items to vulnerable clients. Having kept in touch with Fred and George throughout their illnesses, the QCAP staff knew that their medical challenges and limited mobility would make grocery shopping impossible. So, the brothers became just two of many Greater Quincy residents who benefited from QCAP’s ability to transform their normal operations for the good of their clients during the height of the pandemic.
Feeding Families and Much More
In just the past 4 months, QCAP’s SWCFC has distributed over 128,000 pounds of food to families in the Greater Quincy area through no-contact pick-up orders and food delivery. At the peak of the pandemic, they saw a dramatic spike in new clients registering for food orders. Kristen Schlapp, Chief Operating Officer of QCAP, said that “from March 1-June 30, QCAP’s Food Center served over 3,200 individuals from 950 households, a 41% increase from last year at this time.”
They’re not just providing food, either. In May, a liaison from Quincy Public Schools told the SWCFC about the Gomez* family, a family of 9 who were quarantined due to one of their members contracting COVID-19. With the help of a translator, staff were able to learn that the family included two young elementary children and a newborn baby. In addition to food, they were in need of basic infant care supplies like diapers and wipes, plus cleaning supplies and household items to help limit the spread of COVID within the household. The SWCFC home delivery program provided food deliveries throughout the month of June as the family attempted to get re-tested for clearance to return to work, while also providing the necessary additional supplies, toiletries and age-appropriate learning workbooks for the elementary children.
These stories are just a small part of the comprehensive community efforts QCAP put together to help meet a variety of needs without interruption due to the pandemic. For example, when their Head Start facility closed due to the pandemic, it was immediately transformed into a food and diaper distribution site providing pop-up services, serving 144 families between April and June. Those families also had the opportunity to pick up boxes prepared by the Head Start teachers to help keep children learning at home.
Staying Flexible to Meet Needs
“What I take away from this experience is how dedicated our staff has been to provide services, how flexible they have been to change, and how they’ve adapted to respond to needs,” Schlapp says. “I’ve also seen the incredible ways the community has come together to help those in need...that’s been such a positive outcome of this whole unfortunate situation.”
That flexibility and community spirit allowed QCAP to transition their in-person services to an online format without skipping a beat. QCAP worked with the City of Quincy to distribute rental assistance funds to Quincy residents through their Housing program. “We were able to develop an online application in just 24 hours”, says Schlapp, to help residents apply for these funds. That quick thinking resulted in helping 108 households access 1-3 months of rental assistance support. But Schlapp cautions that the work is far from done. “There are so many families that haven’t been able to pay rent, and there are going to be so many people (when the eviction moratorium expires) that need help and access to our services, so we’re gearing up for that.” Fortunately, QCAP is prepared with additional funding via the City of Quincy’s Emergency Solution Grant (ESG) to help Quincy households with income eligibility up to 50% of Area Medium Income (AMI). QCAP encourages all Quincy households in need of rental assistance or upfront moving costs to call their housing intake line at 617-657-5376 to learn more.
Part of the work to help ease financial constraints for families is QCAP’s ongoing financial and career assistance programs, as well as adult education -- all of which have continued in an online format. “QCAP has been able to provide online financial and career coaching through our Financial REACH Center. We’ve received a lot of questions about how to access stimulus funds and additional benefits, and how to prioritize spending right now. During a time when many have financial uncertainty, the REACH Center has Financial Coaches that are skilled at helping people through these challenges” Schlapp says. She adds that QCAP has been connecting job seekers with MassHire and other employers, as well as providing career counseling, resume help and referrals to Quincy College or other job training and education programs.
“We work with Quincy College to provide Information Technology Fundamentals, which helps English Language Learners learn IT and get placements into job opportunities. The transition to online learning was very smooth, and our teachers were flexible and innovative, helping English Language Learners navigate all that was going on and access additional benefits that they might have been eligible for.”
Through the challenges of COVID-19, Quincy Community Action Programs has worked hard to maintain the “community” in their namesake. While the way that staff work with clients has changed, the personal connection is still there. This was made clear with the re-opening of QCAP’s Head Start program. “Both the teachers and kids are so happy to be back,” Schlapp reports. “We are glad to be able to safely continue this work and it is great to see that the family connections and sense of community are still there.”
Like many other organizations, QCAP’s expected fundraising efforts had to be put on hold during the pandemic. To support their efforts, you can make an individual donation, or check the SWCFC’s Amazon wish list for hard-to-get items they urgently need.
*Names were changed to protect privacy
Do you have a success story to share about how your organization has risen to meet the challenges of COVID-19 in the Greater Quincy Metro area? Contact us!