We know residents of our luxury apartments in Dublin, OH are concerned about their community during these uncertain times. Now that we’re all staying at home to help curb the health crisis, it’s easy to feel helpless. Normally in times of crisis, many of us would rush out to volunteer, lend a helping hand, invite your loved ones over for dinner, and more. However, social distancing makes all of this feel impossible. Thankfully, there are so many ways that the people of Columbus, Ohio are helping—and you can too.
Here’s how The Arch City is helping the community during the COVID-19 pandemic and how you can give back too.
The Columbus Foundation Emergency Response Fund
There are so many incredible nonprofit organizations in Columbus and many of them are taking a hard hit during these difficult times. The Emergency Response Fund through The Columbus Foundation was set up to assist those nonprofits that are experiencing financial challenges due to coronavirus. As of today, nearly $3 million dollars has been granted to local nonprofits. Here are just a few they’ve assisted:
- Children’s Hunger Alliance – “The Children’s Hunger Alliance was granted funds to purchase approximately 8,000 additional shelf-stable meals for children normally reached through afterschool programs or school feeding programs.”
- Lower Lights Ministries – “Lower Lights Ministries was granted funds to support occupancy costs of those in the organization’s house who have lost wages and to support food and essential supplies for area residents.”
- Community Development for All People – “Community Development for All People was awarded funds to support the purchase of shelf-stable foods and other food items needed in the market.”
- LifeCare Alliance – “LifeCare Alliance increased its meal delivery service program, Meals on Wheels, in central Ohio to meet new demand under social distancing constraints due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.”
For a full list of grants, you can visit their website.
United Way of Central Ohio
The United Way of Central Ohio is another fantastic organization that is also working with local nonprofits to distribute emergency funds. “Safeguards will be put in place to ensure these emergency funds are disseminated with urgency and used to support those who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19,” it says on their website. They have hundreds of nonprofits under their umbrella that include Action for Children, Fait Mission, Mid-Ohio Foodbank, Salvation Army, and more. You can view the full list here.
Right now, United Way will match any donations by 50% up to $300,000. If you’d like to donate, you can do so here.
What You Can Do
Donate blood – Right now, blood donations are urgently needed. If you’re feeling healthy and you’d like to help your community, you can find local Red Cross donation drives to donate. They are taking every precaution to ensure the safety and health of all of their staff and donors.
Donate to your local food bank – Many people have lost their jobs due to the health crisis and those that were already vulnerable are even worse off than before. One of the main concerns during these situations is food scarcity. Find out more about food banks near our luxury Columbus apartments and how you can help and donate here.
Support local businesses – With stay-at-home orders in place, the impact on local businesses has been devastating. If you’re in a stable financial position to do so, make it a point to order takeout or deliveries from local restaurants and shop online from local retailers. Gift cards are also a great purchase for you (or someone else!) to use in the future and to help assist local shops.
Reach out to your neighbors – Even though we all have to stay six-feet apart, that doesn’t mean we can’t check-in with our neighbors. Reach out to them with a call or a text to see how they’re doing. You might be able to help them pick up groceries, make them a meal to leave on their doorstep, or just lift their spirits.
Help those in need around our Columbus apartments
Right now, our day-to-day lives at our luxury Dublin apartments have changed drastically. And even though things are a bit different at the moment, we can all pool together to get out of this stronger. If you’re able, consider reaching out to those in your community and see how you can help – safely, of course.