Tarrant nonprofits worried about growing needs with coronavirus cases increasing
Catherine Hollis is determined that people in need continue receiving food and other assistance as the coronavirus situation worsens.
Hollis, interim executive director of Mission Central, a nonprofit serving Hurst, Euless and Bedford, said the “new normal” of the coronavirus crisis means that volunteers who help out at the food pantry were sent home and the two thrift stores that generate most of Mission Central’s revenue are closed.
Hollis shifted employees who were working at the stores to giving out food Tuesday through Friday afternoons.
“It’s been a whirlwind for us,” she said. “The most critical piece is getting the food out to those who need it.”
The food is distributed in the Mission Central parking lot, but “guests” who come must line up behind tape to be six feet from those who are giving out the food. Before the coronavirus hit, people could select their food, but now, employees bring the pre-packaged food out, Hollis said.
Besides making sure people are getting food, Hollis said she is concerned that closing the thrift stores means Mission Central isn’t bringing in the $10,000 to $12,000 per week that go toward other services the nonprofit provides such as food and rent assistance.
“We’ve done everything we can, turning off the air and heat to tighten our belts,” Hollis said.
Leah King, president and CEO of United Way of Tarrant County, painted a sobering picture as nonprofits, already struggling to meet demands for service, were thrown into a tailspin because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was as if overnight, someone turned on the spigot full blast. These organizations don’t have the capacity to address this new normal,” she said.
She described how the area’s homeless shelters as having critical needs and how the Fort Worth and Arlington convention centers have several hundred people who must be six feet apart for social distancing. But during the day, they must leave, and they often congregate and don’t practice social distancing, King said.
King said she also worries about people losing their jobs and how many were living paycheck to paycheck.
In “normal times” a $400 emergency would send many people into a tailspin, she said. Now, the coronavirus situation exacerbates an already dire situation.
King said 25 percent of Tarrant County residents live at or below the poverty line.
“We’ve been sounding the alarm for the past year on the staggering numbers in our community,” King said.
King said United Way is asking nonprofits about the needs in the communities. Some of the most critical areas are Forest Hill and Everman, she said.
She also worries about an increase in family violence because of the stress of job loss and housing and other issues.
Shonda Schaefer, CEO of GRACE, a nonprofit that primarily serves northeast Tarrant County, said she furloughed 30 employees when the four thrift stores had to close due to restrictions on retail.
GRACE is also losing revenue, and she estimated that there will be a loss of around $500,000.
“In my 30 years of nonprofit work, Friday was the worst day,” she said, describing that was when she had to furlough her employees.
Schaefer said several events, such as the Colleyville Women’s Club fashion show that brought in funds for GRACE, were also canceled.
Looking at the bright side, Schaefer said she is seeing more donations, and the board of directors for GRACE also established a reserve fund.
This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 5:45 AM.