UPDATES FROM THE MLK COMMUNITY CENTER
Friday, May 15th, 2020
YOUR SUPPORT SUSTAINS UNPRECEDENTED DEMAND FOR HUNGER SERVICES
As we mark week 9 of the MLK’s COVID-19 response in Newport County, we continue to see high numbers of residents needing help getting food. We’ve provided food to 2,747 people from 3/16 – 5/15. 714 of those are new, first-time clients to the Center. To put that into broader context: in just 9 weeks, we’ve already served more than 60% of the all the clients we served in all of 2019.
Your generous donations help so many people. Thank you.
SEPARATE, BUT TOGETHER
Our staff is a family, so this is tough.
To ensure we can continue uninterrupted service to the community, we have split our staff into two teams, working in separate areas of the building with no physical contact with each other. One team fills the grocery bags, distributes Breakfast and Food Pantry food. The other team orders, receives and unloads food, and runs the Mobile Food Pantry and Food 2 Friends delivery program.
We expect our current program delivery model to be in place for some time. While we miss working as one group, we know this is necessary to ensure our staff and clients’ safety.
To visit the MLK’s on-site food pantry, please come around the side of the building to the Edward Street entrance.
180 KIDS ALREADY ENROLLED TO RECEIVE BOOKS EVERY MONTH
Is the little one in your life enrolled?
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library,
presented by the Bazarsky Family Foundation
Above: David & Carol Bazarsky of the Bazarsky Family Foundation pose with
Imagination Library books
Learn More
SHOP LOCAL & SUPPORT THE MLK
Support local businesses, while also supporting the MLK! We are grateful for all of our small business partners.
- RI Hope & Strength is emblazoning Shepard Fairey’s now-iconic image onto t-shirts, masks, medical scrubs, and more. A portion of sales will support Lifespan’s Emergency Relief Fund, the MLK Community Center, and families in need across Rhode Island. This limited printing is only available until May 27th, so get yours today.
- No Contact Valet will run personal errands on Aquidneck Island & Jamestown (takeout, groceries, etc.) at affordable rates. Avoid high delivery fees or long waits for your groceries. And, they’re hiring. Whether you’re looking for a job or need an errand run, visit their website. 10{9c53042864d6633bf2db1751356d150642c8291f4631350ba2d56f5b9a7a0e43} of profits will benefit the MLK and the Potter League for Animals.
HERE TO HELP
As a reminder, we remain open to provide:
- Grab-n-Go Breakfast every weekday, 7:30 – 8:30
- Food 2 Friends delivery for homebound seniors
- Mobile Food Pantry to low-income housing communities
- A modified on-site food pantry Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Edward St. entrance)
We’ve reduced the time between pantry visits from once a month to every 14 days because we know this is a particularly difficult time for everyone.
BLOOMS OF GENEROSITY
Sharing a special moment from last week, with one of our clients who comes to the Breakfast program each weekday and uses the Food Pantry. They struggle with both mental illness and substance abuse. Life is challenging for many of us, but especially for this person, and especially now as we all try to cope with the coronavirus crisis. As our team gave them their coffee and breakfast grab-n-go meal, they wanted to give us bags, which we had to refuse as we do with any offers of bags right now. The person insisted, asking the three staffers to take a look. Sally, Valencia, and Diane found a pretty flowering plant nestled inside, one for each of them. We’re reminded: we all have many sides. Blooms of generosity can burst forth from the most unexpected, seemingly arid places.
