According to WNEM5, a significant number of nonprofit organizations are seeing an increased demand for their services. The uptick started at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sharon Garcia, the director of communications for the Salvation Army in Eastern Michigan, says the need for their services has increased. She said the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has motivated a lot of people to reach out for assistance for the first time in their lives.
“They’re not part of our regular food pantry program. They’re not part of our regular ministry where we visit the seniors and help people [who are] shut in. It’s new families who need a little extra help right now,” Garcia told WNEM5.
Samantha McKenzie, the president and CEO of Hidden Harvest, says her nonprofit has seen the same demand. “For a soup kitchen to stay level when they’ve told all their seniors to shelter in place, then that means that there are new people that are reaching out to them for support,” McKenzie told WNEM5.
McKenzie says the annual "Stamp Out Hunger" event was recently postponed due to the social-distancing order. She added that the food drive usually gets 140,000 pounds of food donated each year.
McKenzie urged families to donate food to the drive to help out citizens who are struggling to feed their households. “It’s going on from nine until two. So you can go get your groceries, which is allowed, go shop at Pat’s and then drop off some extra stuff to help out your neighbors in need,” McKenzie told WNEM5.
Garcia announced that the Salvation Army has a new hotline in place to help comfort those who are impacted by the pandemic. You can contact the hotline by calling 877-220-4195, or you can still dial 211 for assistance as well.
“We are there to help anyone who needs it,” Garcia said.
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