Helping Children and Families Affected by the Coronavirus CrisisYour community needs your help. For more than 130 years, the Old Colony YMCA has helped the community through a myriad of health and social services programs. Last year, the Old Colony YMCA served more than 144,000 individuals across its network of programs and provided more than $10 million in aid to the community. While impressive, the work we did this past year is not nearly as important as the work we are doing today. And the work we do today won’t be nearly as important as the work we do tomorrow. In our day to day work, the Old Colony YMCA helps individuals and families who are the most vulnerable and susceptible to the smallest changes. Today, we are asking you to support the Old Colony YMCA in our efforts to help those who will be most affected by the Coronavirus, whether it’s the loss of a home, job or access to services.Your contribution will be directed to three key program areas that will enable the Old Colony YMCA to respond swiftly and appropriately to those in need during this unprecedented moment in time.DonateBASIC NEEDSFamily Services | The Old Colony YMCA houses 60 Families and 120 Children in five residential centers designed to support those experiencing homelessness. Although the Old Colony YMCA provides shelter, there are limited services to help families with the myriad of other issues they face, especially during a crisis. In addition to residential centers, the Old Colony YMCA currently works with an additional 180 community families that are facing escalating challenges as a result of the crisis. Your support of this program will help children and families with essential services including food, clothing, and mental health and substance abuse counseling, ensuring that basic needs are met during this time.Food Pantry | Individuals and families in our service area routinely struggle with food insecurity due to lack of financial resources and limited access to transportation. With the outbreak of the coronavirus, access to groceries is becoming more scarce. Your support will help the Old Colony YMCA stock its food pantry to ensure we can provide local families with healthy meals and snacks ensuring their overall health and wellness. CRISIS IMPACTChild Care | While most Massachusetts child care centers are closed during the Covid-19 crisis, Old Colony YMCA was selected as one of Governor Baker’s exempt emergency child care providers. The Old Colony YMCA is privileged to serve the children of first responders, healthcare workers, and the other essential employees who keep our communities running during these most critical times.Mental Health | Each year, the Old Colony YMCA offers health counseling to families and at-risk children who have experienced trauma. This crisis will only heighten the number of families and children who seek mental health services Funding will help provide counseling to children who otherwise wouldn’t access these important programs. EDUCATION GAPIt has been well-documented that students of lower-income families who lack access to educational programs outside of school hours are more likely to fall behind in their learning. Recently, COVID-19 has drastically changed how students are being educated. As classroom learning moves online, low-income students with minimal access to digital learning devices will suffer, which in turn will further exacerbate the critical education gap. Your support of the OCY COVID Crisis Fund will help our organization provide the children in our care with educational programs and at-home programming. While we have seen already how some families have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s hard to predict just how long this crisis will last. Whether it’s 6 months or a year or longer, the Old Colony YMCA is committed to helping those in need, as we have done throughout history. And as the needs of the community evolve in this shifting landscape, the Old Colony YMCA’s services will evolve to best meet the needs of the children and families we serve. To support the Old Colony YMCA COVID Crisis Fund and begin helping those most in need, please click here.