How to Support Nonprofits During Social Isolation

Compiled by Dallas Doing Good Editorial Team.

Social distancing has not stopped organizers from taking the community work online, continuing good work in Dallas during this time of the spread of novel Coronoa virus. Read below for how these individuals and organizations are helping vulnerable communities during this crisis, as well as how you can join their efforts.

Meals on Wheels/VNA Texas

The Meals on Wheels team at VNA Texas is continuing to serve daily meals to the seniors and disabled adults on its roster. As more and more seniors find themselves home-bound in the days of COVID-19 social isolation, there is an internal waiting list for meal delivery of over 500 people. On average, someone will stay on the meal delivery service for 27 months, and at $6.50 per meal, there needs to be $1,700 in funding per senior.

Volunteers are following cleanliness guidelines as they make no-contact deliveries, washing hands before and after delivery runs and using hand sanitizer in between each stop. The MOW team is also still delivering individually wrapped meals to 22 drop sites around the metroplex for active seniors to pick up.

In preparation for the next level of quarantine, volunteers have also been including shelf-stable meals along with normal hot meals. There are also plans in place for virtual contact to check in on seniors and their socialization and safety needs.

If you are interested in being a Meals on Wheels volunteer, there is a great need, as some volunteers have needed to isolate themselves. The volunteer process is completely online, but a background check takes ten days to complete. The sooner you can start the process, the better!

North Texas Food Bank

What are we doing?

• We’ll be building nearly 10K family meal boxes in the coming weeks in anticipation of needing a no to low touch distribution model for our agencies or possible new distribution sites.

• We’re working with our agencies to ensure they have everything they need for increased demand. This includes preparing meal kits and updating our agency finder map, which has been moved to the front page of our website

• We’re working with the City of Dallas to prepare and deliver snack/hydration kits for the homeless who will be moved to the Convention Center if they are asymptomatic. Additionally, we’re working with them on providing food for additional distributions.

• School districts have their own plans for “grab and go” distribution of breakfast and lunch, but we are in communication with the districts to work on elevated response plans as needed and to coordinate Food 4 Kids and school pantry drops. 

• We’re working with Feeding Texas and the State of Texas to get waivers that would allow us to use TEFAP product in these boxes.

• We’re adjusting our volunteer schedule, beginning this Thursday, to add a third shift. This allows us to decrease the number of people in each shift for health and safety reasons in alignment with CDC guidelines

• We continue to implement measures to ensure the safety of our employees, volunteers and those we serve. We also continue to work through our response plan to ensure that we have plans to adjust if the situation intensifies.

The Stewpot

We know that there are many restaurants and business in the community that are sadly facing temporary closures and cancellations in response to recent events. If you are among those affected and have excess food, we wanted to let you know that our food recovery efforts are ongoing. Please contact Rob Guild 469-236-0488 or robg@thestewpot.org. Pictured is a recent donation from The Hockaday School. We are so grateful for their generosity in gifting us such wonderful food for our guests at the Second Chance Cafe at The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center that might otherwise go to waste!

All volunteer opportunities at The Stewpot’s main location at 1822 Young Street AND Meal Service at The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center have been suspended until further notice.

The Network

During this elevated time of concern over COVID-19, please be assured that Network is taking all necessary precautions to keep its environment clean and safe for staff, clients, volunteers, and other visitors. Volunteers are working on separate phones or small groups.

We will continue to carry out our mission while modifying our service delivery methods so that this safety can be maintained. Volunteers and financial resources are our top needs.  Many of our more vulnerable volunteers are temporarily on leave from Network during this time.  This shortage, as well as the extra phone work and additional shopping and bagging of food items, calls for more daily volunteers than were previously needed at Network.  All staple food products are needed, including perishable items such as meet and produce. All food will be accepted as long as it is not expired. Food donations can be dropped off at the back of the building at the loading docks. The address is 741 S. Sherman Street, Richardson, TX 75081.

In addition, an uptick in Network’s need for hygiene and cleaning supplies, packing boxes, and most importantly food for our pantry (as retailer’s supplies fall) result in additional unanticipated expenditures.  Your support of time and financial resources during this time will be appreciated. If you would like to volunteer, email our Volunteer Coordinator at aedling@thenetwork.org.

The Magdalen House

The Magdalen House is a nonprofit organization helping women achieve sobriety and sustain recovery from alcoholism at no cost and based on 12-Step spiritual principles. Founded in Dallas in 1987, The Magdalen House remains the only agency in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to offer comprehensive recovery services – without insurance or state funding – 100% free of charge.

You can find more information about how we are currently providing services, as well as how to help during this time on Maggie’s COVID-19 Help Hub

Social Detox Program: While we have reduced the number of clients we are serving in our two-week, residential program from 16 to nine, with a growing waitlist, we are still helping alcoholic women in crisis who are needing to detox. Please call 214.324.9261 for a phone screening or more information. 

Meetings: Our daily, 12-Step meetings have transitioned to a virtual format, and they are open to any woman in recovery. More information about how to join the meetings can be found at magdalenhouse.org/meetings. Plus, families can get virtual support on Wednesday evenings: magdalenhouse.org/family

Next Step: We are currently accepting virtual intakes to our three-phase, non-residential Next Step program that structure and accountability to alcoholic women at any stage of recovery. Please visit magdalenhouse.org/nextstepfor how to enroll.

Outreach: We are communicating with sober living, healthcare, and food partners in the area to stay on top of what resources are available to women in our community. For our COVID-19 Resource List, please visit magdalenhouse.org/outreach.

FACE Foundation

COVID-19 has created a time of uncertainty as well as an increased demand for numerous products, including hygiene items. Many local shelters depend on these very items to help serve women and children escaping domestic abuse, homelessness or human trafficking. These women and children have lived through this very life of constant uncertainty and shelters help provide a safe and nurturing environment for them. For this reason, it is especially important, even now more than ever, to donate these critical resources to local shelters. 

FACE Foundation of Texas is committed to continuing to deliver individual bags containing these much needed essential items to local shelters to assist in alleviating this demand. Our FACE bags contain 8 high priority toiletries, helping shelters to provide the women and children they care for with basic necessities. Our bags also help establish a sense of dignity and serve as a reminder to these women and children that they are valued and cared for by others. 

How can you help and still maintain social distancing? 

1). We offer porch pick-ups! Take this time at home to clean out those bathroom drawers! Give your unused items purpose by donating them to help women and children in need! We are happy to pick up any of your unused toiletries. Simply leave your donations on your porch and notify us of the day and time you would like them picked up. You can contact us at facefoundation7@yahoo.com to schedule a pick up. High priority items needed:

-shampoo, deodorant, body soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, lotion, razors, makeup,skincare

*please note items may be full or travel size, but must be UNUSED*

2). Shop our Amazon Wish List! There are a wide range of items at various price points. Shop from the comfort of your own home! The items you purchase are sent directly to us.

3). Make a monetary donation to allow for high priority items to be purchased. 100% of your donations go directly towards purchasing essential toiletries!

With your help, we can provide much needed resources to local shelters and the women and children they serve. Your donations change lives and help women and children to FACE each day knowing they are fearfully and wonderfully made!

Lipscomb Peace Pantry

While we wait to see if DISD will close school beyond the scheduled Spring Break, we know that many of you are concerned for the families that regularly receive food from the Lipscomb Peace Pantry.

Please know that we sent home as much food as possible, along with a grocery store gift card, which is more than our normal Spring Break bag. Additionally, we have packed a second round of bags, all ready to go with a plan for distribution, should school close for a second week. If a third week of cancellations occurs, we have enough cash to purchase food for another round of bags.

What can you do to help? If you are able to make a monetary donation, that is the fastest way to help. We will continue to buy food and distribute as long as is needed, even if our official pantry doors are closed. We have also cleared out our shelves, so once school reopens, we will need a full restock.

Meals On Wheels of Tarrant County

Meals On Wheels of Tarrant County provides far more than just a meal to over 4,200 homebound, elderly and disabled citizens across Tarrant County. During the COVID-19 crisis, the organization’s services are of even greater importance. So, with additional safety measures in place, Meals On Wheels is continuing to serve up daily safety checks, nutritious meals and other supportive services.

Volunteers are currently being asked to take their temperature before arriving at their distribution site and are not allowed to volunteer if they have a temperature of 99.6 or higher. If a volunteer is not feeling well for any reason, they are asked to stay home.

All distribution sites are practicing a strict one in one out policy. Volunteers enter the meal packing room one at a time, and others are asked to wait outside while staying six feet apart from one another. Thanks to donations from the Mavs Foundation, Bendt Distilling Company, Blackland Distillery and Acre Distilling Company, individual hand sanitizers are available at all distribution sites for volunteers unable to find any on their own. Every volunteer has been instructed to use hand sanitizer before and after each meal delivery.

Social distancing is also being practiced on each route. Volunteers cannot enter clients’ homes and direct contact is prohibited. Instead, clients are opening the door when volunteers arrive and then stepping six feet back so that their meal can be placed directly inside the door on a small table or tv tray. This ensures volunteers can still perform their daily safety check for clients while maintaining a safe distance.

In preparation for a potential increase in preventative measures for COVID-19, Meals On Wheels has prepared an additional 20,000 frozen and shelf stable meals to provide to clients in case of a temporary halt in daily delivery. Two meals are currently being delivered per day (M-F) to every client since many of the people who provide that extra safety net are being asked to stay home. Once the crisis is over, Meals On Wheels will return to their normal delivery schedule. 

Staff, volunteer and financial resources are being stretched to their limits. The organization has seen a huge increase in the number of people needing assistance. This increase is requiring an additional $25,000 per week to meet the demand. Clients may make voluntary contributions toward the cost of the services they receive, but no one is ever denied services if they are unable to contribute. Your support will ensure Meals On Wheels’ continued success in caring for our community’s most frail. Volunteers are also needed, and the training process is currently available online for added convenience and safety. They invite you to get started today!

Dallas for Change 

Jennifer Cortez, Dallas organizer for justice and equity with Dallas for Change, an advocacy coalition, has set up a resource guide to aid people during this time of COVID-19. The tool is used to collect support resources from the Dallasites who know of them and to provide a continuously updated list for the Dallasites who need them. Jennifer reminds us that not everyone has access to an online source like this, but we compile this list so that we can also inform the traditional way of talking with our family, friends, and neighbors who may need support or be connected to someone who does. Please add resources or use the resource at the link below:

Dallas Artist Relief Fund

Darryl Ratcliff, organizer and local Dallas artist of Creating Our Future, a group of artists and arts advocates in Dallas, are raising money to support other artists and freelancers who are taking financial hits as a result of closures and lost income from Covid-19. If you are able to donate or hire a freelance artist for a project you have been meaning to work on now is the time to support local artists. Monetary and other types of donations can be entered via a form at the link below:

The Bridge

Here are some ways people can help our Guests during this social distancing period:

• Our resources are being stretched by the COVID-19 virus as we are forced to take extra precautions. Donations of any amount will help us continue to meet the needs of our Guests.

• In-kind donations of antibacterial cleaning wipes, all-purpose cleaning spray, hand sanitizer, and masks are greatly needed to help our Guests stay healthy and are in short supply.

Austin Street Center

The current need for sheltering was already expanding prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, and now the challenges have consequently grown as more people find themselves out of work and out of food. People in the sheltered communities can feel alone and isolated, and the current situation will likely make this worse. They need our help. Below are ways each of us can support them and Austin Street over the coming weeks:

• Donations can be made at www.austinstreet.org/give

• To drop off meals, contact libby.card@austinstreet.org

• To donate much needed items, go to www.austinstreet.org/give/needs

• To assist our elderly or most vulnerable clients with alternative housing, we would request people donate to our Client Assistance Fund when going to the Austin Street website. 

The Dallas 24 Hour Club

Since 1969, Dallas 24 Hour Club has provided safe, sober transitional living for homeless men and women seeking a brand new life away from drugs and alcohol. When residents return from work, their re-entry into the facility is monitored. Residents are required to wash their hands and have their temperature checked.  The 24 is currently accepting new intakes as space is available and are working daily with our resource partners to make sure everyone who needs a safe place finds one. Currently, they are closed to the public to prevent the spread of the virus to residents, as health and safety are a top priority.

How you can help:

The 24 provides breakfast, lunch and dinner to all Phase 1 residents, so they can always use perishable food to prepare in their on-site kitchen, The Hubcap Café, or they can serve delivered meals such as pizza, lasagna, subs, etc. To schedule a delivery, please email info@dallas24hourclub.org.

The 24 provides all supplies for the house and residents’ needs including toilet paper, bedding, etc. Please consider shopping their Amazon Wish List for a variety of items that are needed right now at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2DU33CQQARKTO/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex

The 24 is supporting residents who have lost employment during this global crisis by helping them write resumes and apply for jobs. If you know of any businesses hiring, please reach out via info@dallas24hourclub.org.

Residents of The 24 are currently leading daily 12-Step Meetings, but are temporarily closed to the public. They are doing a great job of working a strong recovery program! If you know of Zoom or virtual recovery meetings for our residents, please let us know via info@dallas24hourclub.org

Recovery Resource Council

Since 1946 Recovery Resource Council has helped provide hope, conquer addiction and heal families. In the face of COVID-19 and social isolation, they are providing telemedicine, providing counseling via video conferencing, and providing increased outreach to their homeless civilian and veteran clients. 

Your tax-deductible gift will make a difference in the lives of thousands of adults we assist throughout the treatment and recovery process and each at-risk child we touch through prevention education programming in over 170 schools and agencies. Generous donations from supporters keep Recovery Resource Council in operation. Without your help, we would not be able to offer our services to the community. We accept monetary and in-kind donations for our youth and client programs and since we are a 501(c) 3 organization, all donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. For more information on in-kind donations we are able to accept at this time, please contact events@recoverycouncil.org.

Salvation Army 

With a growing number of confirmed and presumptive cases of the novel coronavirus in North Texas, The Salvation Army of North Texas is ramping up efforts to mitigate the spread among a vulnerable population – the homeless. Nearly 7,000 people in the region lack shelter.  

In addition to following guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The Salvation Army of North Texas is doing the following:

• Screening clients and volunteers 

  • During intake, we check for symptoms and have a referral process in place to county hospitals.

• Providing education to clients 

  • We have handouts available on how to mitigate the spread.  

• Designating areas at shelter for isolation and quarantine 

  • We have identified areas to be transitioned.   

There are no plans to turn anyone away and treating our clients with dignity and respect is of the upmost importance.

In these unprecedented times, we anticipate a spike in requests for our assistance over the coming days, weeks, months, and likely years. This includes increased demand for shelter, feeding, and hygiene products – plus long-term needs like recovery support, utility assistance, job training, and more. We appreciate the public’s prayers, donations, and support during this challenging time we are all experiencing.

Redeemed Women

In an effort to follow instructed orders to obey social distancing but NOT social isolation we have committed to up our home visits with drive up deliveries. The best way for us to stay connected to families is by making a tangible impact. We have gotten a tremendous number of phone calls and text expressing deep concern because women are having trouble with just the basics.

Shop our Amazon wishlist and you can also give monetarily. Your generosity matters. Oh! Did we mention that we are praying for YOU and your family as well? Because we are!

Safe Haven of Tarrant County

When most people are seeking refuge in their homes from the danger outside, domestic violence situations begin to escalate due to the isolation from others and the high stress within the home dynamic. That means organizations like SafeHaven of Tarrant County will experience a higher than normal need from women and children fleeing unsafe environments both outside and inside their homes. 

When asked about the current need Kathryn Jacob stated, “We absolutely expect to see an increase in victims seeking our services in the coming weeks. For victims of domestic violence, home is where they’re at their most vulnerable, and with the CDC recommending social distancing, victims will come in contact with their abuser more frequently. We want to let them know that we are here – our lifesaving resources won’t stop. But as we expect to serve more and more clients, we will need an influx of community support. If ever there was a time to support domestic violence agencies, it’s right now.”

1. A Direct Financial Contribution: Many of the needs for SafeHaven include providing shelter beds, hot meals, and direct services. These programs are supported by generous donations from the community. To donate to SafeHaven today visit: https://www.safehaventc.org/support/donate-financially/

2 A Gift of Needed Goods: The women and children seeking shelter at SafeHaven are in need of basic goods including cough syrup and Tylenol to self care products and laundry detergent. The organization is making it easy to donate from home with their Amazon Wish List. 

Café Momentum

These are very unusual times (to say the least) and we are honored that members of our city have reached out to us with concerns over our community’s food insecurities during the city-wide school closures.
 
At the same time, we also need to ensure we are providing income, a safe space, and our ecosystem of support to the young men and women we serve — now more than ever. As restaurants are closed to the public, we have had to reimagine how our business model can work and continue to maintain our important hours of influence with our interns.
 
For the next month, we are transforming our restaurant into a food hub where we’ll be building meal kits for food-insecure students and their families in our community. This act of service not only provides relief to those in need and positively supports Café Momentum’s mission – it also provides an opportunity for our young men and women to be good neighbors and contributing members of the community.
 
To accomplish our goals, we’re launching Momentum E.A.T.s, a campaign to raise funds to build the meal kits and support the young men and women of Café Momentum.
 
Here’s how your donation will simultaneously support both initiatives:
 

1. Every dollar that is donated will go towards procuring food for “meal kits”, which will feed food-insecure students and their families.

2. At the same time, our partners at Stand Together Foundation will match your online donations dollar for dollar (up to a $1,000 match per donation), which will allow us to continue to operate our program and provide the wraparound care and ecosystem of support vital to our Interns.

Communities Foundation of Texas

CFT has established the North Texas Community Response Fund, that will be used to support community needs in response to COVID-19. Donations to this fund will be used to provide support for organizations that work with people and communities who may be most affected by COVID-19. This will likely include support for individuals and families who need access to food and/or healthcare, supplementing lost wages and/or housing costs or support for agencies who work with vulnerable populations such as seniors and/or homeless.

United Way Metropolitan Dallas

This week, we launched the United Way Coronavirus Relief Fund to support this critical work.

The populations we serve are those most vulnerable to economic downturns and health crises. The fund will address current community impact concerns including:  

• Shortage of supplies to meet basic health and safety needs (paper goods, hand sanitizer, cleaning products and potentially food) 

• Extended closures of school, childcare and after school programs, impacting children’s access to breakfast and lunch programs and parents’ ability to work 

• Immediate economic impact for many workers, particularly in the service, retail and travel industries 

Our organization will continue to work with community leaders, including the Dallas County Health Department, school districts and our service partners to identify resource and service gaps and plan for long-term recovery. 

Thank you for being champions for the thousands of individuals and families you help United Way serve. Our mission and our belief in the power of unity are more important today than they have ever been. 

We will thrive as a community by confronting this challenge together and taking care of one another. We hope you will consider a personal or corporate donation to the fund. 

Interfaith Dallas

Interfaith Dallas is seeking to expand our ability to provide rent and utility assistance to those vulnerable workers who are most impacted by this situation by launching a COVID-19 Affected Workers Fund. We encourage those who can to donate to this fund. It will provide emergency support for low-wage and hourly workers in the travel, hospitality, and entertainment industries with children ages 0 to 18. If you know anyone, in need of assistance, please direct them to SupportForMom.com.

Wilkinson Center

During the current COVID-19 outbreak, Wilkinson Center is committed to serving the community and has plans in place to keep our Food Pantry safely and hygienically available to our clients. For those of you wondering “How can I help?”, please consider donating through our Amazon Charity List. All non-perishable food and hygiene items are accepted, but we especially need items to serve seniors and children. Thank you for your support!

Get Shift Done

We are connecting the affected hospitality workforce with local non-profits to serve and provide hunger relief to North Texas communities.

The COVID-19 crisis has severely impacted the North Texas service industry and put our already at-risk populations in desperate need of meals. For the non-profit organizations that serve so much of this population are experiencing a spike in the need for volunteers to meet the escalating need.

Get Shift Done for North Texas was launched to address both affected service workers who have lost their paychecks and immediate support for the demand of the non-profits, especially with respect to hunger relief.

What we have done:

• Created the Gift Shift Done for North Texas Fund at Communities Foundation of Texas with the intent to provide wages to hourly workers to fulfill these shifts. All remaining funds will be used to support nonprofit organizations that provide workforce development and hunger relief.

• Partnered with Restaurant Industry Leaders in North Texas to offer their staff shifts at North Texas based Non-Profit Organizations preparing, assembling, and delivering meals at a wage rate of $10/hour.

• Launched a team and special program leveraging the Shiftsmart platform to onboard, train, schedule, dispatch, route, and pay the assigned workers to perform these shifts at the Non-Profits.

Through our partnership with the North Texas Food Bank, beginning this Thursday, we will be able to serve over 1 million meals per week while providing more than $250,000 of wages per week to over 1,000 workers per week.

We would like your financial support to bridge this temporary gap for our fellow citizens.  

Carson Leslie Foundation

Children battling cancer have seriously compromised immune systems. With current state of the global pandemic coronavirus, CLF is working closely with Children’s Health-Dallas to provide gifts of encouragement for kids battling cancer and hospitalized during this national emergency. 

There are two ways to help!

1. Send a gift from our Amazon Wish List to be delivered to cancer patients at Children’s Health-Dallas.

2. Write (or draw!) a note of encouragement and email it to hello@dallasdoinggood.com.

3. Make a donation at carsonlesliefoundation.org/donate.

Volunteers of America Texas

Volunteers of America Texas is a ministry of service that has provided help to vulnerable Texans for more than 108 years. As the largest provider of affordable housing in Texas, we provide housing to seniors and individuals with disabilities as well as in-home support to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, treatment services for people living with substance use disorders, and re-entry services for people transitioning from prison.

Items needed include:

• Hand sanitizer

• Cleaning supplies

• Nonperishable food items- canned goods, pasta box meals, etc.

• Paper goods-toilet paper and paper towels

We also have an ongoing list of items on our website: https://www.voatx.org/wish-list that can be shipped to 300 E. Midway Drive, Euless, TX 76039. Monetary donations designated to COVID-19 can be made here.

Goodwill Dallas

Goodwill Dallas, a leading social enterprise, is stepping up to support the Dallas medical community. Goodwill has partnered with Dallas County Health & Human Services, Methodist Health System and Parkland Health & Hospital System to collect critically-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) – including homemade masks. The drive will run through Thursday, April 30.

“We are really good at collecting donated items. We normally do it to help provide jobs and job training for individuals with disabilities and other barriers to employment. But today, we can use those same capabilities to support our community’s response to fighting COVID-19,” said Tim Heis, President & CEO of Goodwill Industries of Dallas.

North Texas residents who have new and unopened personal protective equipment, as well as homemade masks, are encouraged to donate at any of Goodwill’s 23 Donation Centers across Collin, Dallas and Denton counties.

Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price expressed gratitude to the community for supporting our healthcare professionals. “We’re thankful to our friends at Goodwill and our generous community for coming together in this critical moment to deliver these much-needed items into the hands of our local hospitals,” Commissioner Price said.

Dallas County Health & Human Services, Methodist Health System and Parkland currently have an adequate supply of products as well as plans to handle any spike in patients who have COVID-19. This measure is meant to simply add even more safety stock to their supply and provide a channel for the public to help.

“We have a bird’s eye view of how COVID-19 is affecting our community and we are prepared to deploy resources quickly, including these donations, to where they are needed most in our community,” said James R. Pogue, Sr., Strategic National Stockpile Coordinator for Dallas County Health & Human Services.

Goodwill is collecting the following:

• Hand sanitizer (all sizes)

• Antibacterial soap

• N95 masks

• Surgical masks

• Surgical caps

• Foot/shoe covers

• Industrial masks

• Disinfectant wipes

• Medical latex-free gloves

• Eye protection goggles

• Medical face shields

• Powered air-purifying respirators (PAPR) and PAPR hoods

• Medical protective gowns (water-resistant) 

• Disposable food-grade gloves

• Thermometers (non-contact digital)

• Homemade fabric masks

All items can be donated daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at a Goodwill Donation Center. For a full list of Goodwill Donation Centers, refer to www.goodwilldallas.org. Donated items will be quarantined and cleaned according to current medical recommendations, and then distributed to Dallas County Health & Human Services, Methodist Health System and Parkland.

North Texas residents who have new and unopened personal protective equipment, as well as homemade masks, are encouraged to donate beginning April 2 daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at any of Goodwill’s 23 Donation Centers across Collin, Dallas and Denton counties.