United Way of Monroe County has issued about $300,000 in grants to service organizations in the community from its COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund.
Efrat Feferman is the executive director of United Way of Monroe County. She says the relief fund is focused on meeting the community’s basic needs, like housing and food security.
Feferman says in early March, United Way and other community organizations like the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, and the Bloomington Health Foundation began to put the fund together, anticipating the impact COVID-19 would have on service organizations and nonprofits.
“Sixteen agencies receive funding in this round and we hope we can work to fulfill some of the other requests in the days and weeks to come,” Feferman says.
She says many nonprofits and community service organizations have taken a financial hit recently because they’ve had to cancel their spring fundraisers, while also experiencing increased need in their services.
Feferman says another way organizations have been impacted is a reduction in volunteers. She says some organizations have been trying to limit volunteers to avoid spreading infection, which puts more stress on full-time staff.
Also, university students made up large portions of the volunteer base in the community. Feferman says as classes have moved online and as students have traveled home, it has affected some organizations' ability to operate.
Some of the organizations that received funding include the Shalom Community Center to build an isolation shelter for people experiencing homelessness, and the the Hoosier Hills Food Bank, to support mass purchasing of food staples.
