The Community Impact Network is well known within North St. Louis County for its focus on working with nonprofit partners to help strengthen families and communities. But with the sharp rise in immediate needs due to COVID-19, it has shifted to offer emergency assistance.
The Community Impact Network is providing more than $625,000 in funding to nonprofit partners to deliver resources including: food and formula; toiletries, diapers, and cleaning supplies; housing, rent, and utility assistance; COVID-19 testing; and computers for area students to complete their school work at home.
To help coordinate these resources and address the severe impact the pandemic is having, the Community Impact Network implemented an emergency coronavirus task force.
Partners involved in the task force include Operation Food Search, United 4 Children, St. Louis Diaper Bank, the Normandy Schools Collaborative, Beyond Housing, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, as well as Affinia Healthcare and others.
Starting in early April, the Network and its partners began distributing shelf-stable, prepackaged meals that include breakfasts, lunches and dinners. They’re also dedicating funding to housing, utility assistance, healthcare, childcare and more. Throughout the coming weeks, the task force will continue to monitor and reassess the needs of the more than 40,000 residents and will respond accordingly.
“The Community Impact Network has organized and facilitated a group of more than 85 nonprofits for over a year. Working relationships were already in place between the partners. This positioned the group perfectly to roll up their sleeves and quickly put together a plan to help the people we serve make it through this crisis,” said Mike Sorth, President and CEO of the Community Impact Network.
In addition, the Community Impact Network is coordinating with all of the task force organizations to get vital information about other community resources into the hands of individuals and families.
With the arrival of government assistance checks likely to be a few more weeks away, this current crisis in North St. Louis County could escalate and dramatically worsen for the many low-income families and individuals in this area who are the most affected by this pandemic. By offering significant intervention now, the Community Impact Network and its partners are empowering thousands of families and individuals—and their community.