Community Care Package
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The New Normal
By: Bonnie Kwon
Growing up, my mom would wake up early to carefully prepare and pack handmade treats, extra clothes and, if I was lucky, fruit snacks for me on school picnic days. She would use a large square cloth to wrap up the goodies and finish it with a large bow. Looking back, I can feel her tenderness for me by the intention that she put with each fold of the bundle.
Each week, we’re asking to hear from you. Last week, we asked how life has changed since the pandemic started. Many of your answers resonated. This one stood out to me:
“More appreciation to my family and community. Empathy and Love.”
The same way that my mom sent me out into the world with care packages, we hope that this Community Care Package shows you how much we appreciate you. That it reminds you to continue to survive, grow and thrive while sharing your empathy and love.
FOOD FOR THE HEART
In last week’s issue of Day by Day, we saw J close her office and buy emergency supplies to prepare for the pandemic. This week we see some of the struggles and comforts of J’s transition to working from home — some of which are a little too relatable!
IN-LANGUAGE RESOURCES
A huge thank you to all who have contributed resources to build up our Community Library of nearly 200 COVID-19 resources in 29 AA and NHPI languages (and counting). Please share widely! http://bit.ly/AANHPI-COVID19-Resources.
Please continue to submit any in-language materials you find useful through this link, and we’ll add them to the collection: http://bit.ly/ShareCOVID-19Resources.
THE NITTY-GRITTY — TOOLS YOU THOUGHT YOU NEVER NEEDED
On top of concerns about health, we know that many of you are also strategizing about ways to financially support your programs, staff, organizations and communities. Here are some financial resources that we hope will be helpful resources for you.
- How to access support through the CARES Act: National Council of Nonprofits outlined an analysis of what’s in the Coronavirus AID, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for nonprofits.* Check out the recording and slides of their recent webinar “Federal Coronavirus Relief Bills: What do they mean for nonprofits?” which walks you through the process of how to access these financial resources. Keep an eye on their page for additional resources and guides. While the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is open through June 30, CBOs should apply as soon as possible. Funding is limited and the application process is multi-step.
*Nonprofits are able to apply for a $10K grant under the CARES Act. While the program is called the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), you don’t need to repay the funds as this is a grant. - Local Relief Funds: The Community Foundation Public Awareness Initiative is maintaining a list of state-by-state COVID-19 relief funds from community foundations, which have so far mobilized $375 million across more than 250 community foundations in all 50 states.
SHOW YOUR LOVE
As our CEO Kathy Ko Chin mentioned in her Facebook Live, we want to hear from you. Your stories and feedback are how we learn about what resources are needed and get a sense of what’s happening in AA and NHPI communities across the country. Please take a moment to tell us your story.
We’re keeping you all in our thoughts.
Stay safe.
Bonnie Kwon is the Director of Network Innovations at the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum. This is the second issue of the #HFCarePackage series. To get regular emails from this newsletter, please sign up here.
