Corona Virus Response

On April 2, Denver Mile High Rotary announced that the Club had allocated $10,000 to fund COVID-19 Relief Grants.  Club members were asked to submit applications to support organizations in the metro area that were struggling with the demand for additional services as a result of the coronavirus.   

 

In two days, Club members had submitted grant requests for seven different organizations.  The assistance they are providing includes mental health services, food distribution for low income students and their families, food preparation and delivery, childcare for health workers, and providing on-line conversations for handling stress. The activities that the grants are supporting are described below.  Click on the organization’s name to find out more about their work.

 

 

The grant funds were used to underwrite a series of weekly on-line Community Conversations that The Conflict Center hosted through mid-May to help people with stress reduction and coping strategies. 

Six topics were presented, with each session held twice:

 

April 7, How Are You Showing Up Online? Our Virtual Selves

April 14, Social Isolation Sucks

April 21, Trapped Inside With Your Emotions

April 28, Taking Your Feelings Temperature

May 26, Restoring Peace: Parenting during COVID-19

June 2, I'm Over It But It's Not Over...Ongoing Strategies

 

 

The Food Pantry provides food for Friday night distribution to 155 families.  This number is a 100% increase in demand from earlier in the year.  The grant has helped the Pantry meet  increased demand due to the virus. 

 

 

The Emergency Food Network prepares and delivers meals to families that community organizations have identified as home-bound.  The grant helped pay the costs of these services.

 

 

Food for Thought prepared approximately 500 Powersacks with food purchased from the grant funds.  The sacks were distributed to Denver Public School and Adams County 14 School family feeding locations, where families in need can obtain food during school closures due to Covid-19.

 

 

 

The grant funds helped support essential services during the COVID-19 crisis, by providing  additional pay and periodic onsite food for employees.  Jefferson Center is compensating  employees who continue to work on the front lines directly with clients. The Center wants to  make sure that individuals are recognized for putting their safety more at risk and to keep them engaged so that Jefferson Center can continue to meet the needs of clients.

 

 

Metro Caring provides healthy food to families in need in central Denver.  Many of their sources of food have diminished while demand has increased.  Grant funds were used to purchase food, cleaning supplies, sanitizer, gloves, etc.; these items will then be distributed to families as needed. 

 

 

YMCA Emergency activities in response to the virus include setting up and maintaining five emergency child-care locations for children of critical care workers, weekly food distributions to 1000 people, including more than 500 children who lost meals due to school closings.