These last two weeks have hit us hard, and I imagine they have hit many of you hard as well. We've now experienced the grief of a handful of staff, volunteers, and participants losing people to this devastating virus. The reality of the extreme disparities faced by our communities of color in this pandemic have come into full view. And, the economic crisis faced by our most vulnerable neighbors is devastating. The staff here have been fielding calls from community members who are scared. " We have no food." "I don't know what to do." "Please, we need help." 

	Hand-sewn face masks for Food Pantry shoppers

Thank you to all of you who have met these overwhelming challenges  with kindness, generosity, acts of service, and love. We've received more than 200 hand-sewn cloth masks, outfitting staff and volunteers, and now going to Food Pantry shoppers and their families.  A photographer raised funds for the Center while photographing people on their front steps. Volunteers and staff worked, for hours, in the rain, making sure everyone who came got lunch and produce and bread (see a video clip of the song it inspired below). Y our contributions to the COVID-19 Hunger Response Fund p urchased food to increase the quantity each family gets, i ncreased staff time to oversee our now daily trips to the Food Bank, r ented a sturdy tent for the parking lot, and r estocked our hand sanitizer (yes, we found some!).  I cannot thank you enough.

Now that we have solidified core operations, we are working hard to get more food to more people, because that is what they are telling us they need. In the coming month, we will: 

• Give out even more food, especially to families with school age kids who are missing out on school-provided meals.  We will be giving extra kid-friendly groceries to each family starting in May. 
• Provide more fresh fruits and vegetables! Families have been asking for more quantity and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, so we plan to increase the variety and quantity of produce provided by 30-50%. 
• Deliver food. We doubled the number of seniors receiving delivery this month, and plan to expand to two new towns in May. We are building new partnerships to deliver groceries right to a number of apartment complexes, reaching many people (of all ages) who can no longer borrow a car or ride the bus to get here. 
• Connecting people to resources, such as information and access to a volunteer accountant to help folks get their stimulus checks. 

"The positive influence of the Center is boundless," a participant recently wrote, "Thank you."   

If you need food, please come. We are open. We have food. We are here to help. See our website for information about our updated services, and about options for accessing the Food Pantry, including delivery and alternate pick up.

If you can give, please do.  We need your help to give out more food, provide more fruits and vegetables, and deliver to people who can't get here. Your contribution to the  COVID-19 Hunger Response Fund will ensure that when someone calls to ask for help, that we can say "yes." And right now, we have another wonderful match opportunity. Thanks to Terry Johnson, your gift this week will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $5,000. 

Our community has shown remarkable connection amidst this crisis. Thank you so much to all of you who have given already, in so many ways. If you haven't yet, and can, we need your help now. We are looking for more homemade masks. And, please share what you can to provide food for your neighbors as they navigate this crisis. Donate now to the COVID-19 Hunger Response Fund.