Supporting the community through a pandemic
Virtual Learning SupportIn early 2020, the world was faced with a collective challenge that our generation had never seen before. With the future unknown, and now over a year into the pandemic, we find ourselves working to help the youth in our community recover from what was supposed to be a 2-week stay home order to "flatten the curve."
During this time, many vulnerable children and youth have lost their sense of social normalcy and stability. Parents have been forced to work and care for their children simultaneously, and many family members went months without seeing one another in order to keep loved ones safe from contracting COVID. With stay-at-home orders sweeping across the country, many families found themselves in a tight spot. Resources and support that were previously provided by the public education system were no longer accessible, and parents of young children and youth needed to quickly readjust how they interacted with institutions that are essential to maintaining a healthy social safety net, particularly for lower-income families. Throughout the pandemic, New Life Movement has provided kids in our community with computers for virtual learning, internet hot spots, and other individualized support that was within our means to fulfill. Once society began to open up after the initial lockdowns, we immediately made our Resource Center in Downtown Richmond available for kids to come and receive the academic and personal support needed to begin catching up after months of isolation. It is of the utmost importance to us that the youth in our community know that they have not been forgotten or left behind. While we don’t have all the answers, we pledge to do whatever we can to ensure the safety and well-being of West Contra Costa County's most vulnerable children and families. |
Healthy MealsDuring the COVID pandemic, many families that lost months of income as a result of lockdowns were unable to provide nutritious food for their children. While many public school sites continued to provide free breakfast and lunch to students during the period of virtual learning, New Life Movement recognized the need to bring healthy food directly to those families who needed extra support.
Through our HEALTHY LIVING program, we have been able to deliver healthy, organic foods to our most underserved youth and their families. Much of the food we delivered during the pandemic came from homegrown community gardens. New Life Movement will continue this service by coming to homes and collecting any fruits and vegetables grown by residents that would otherwise go to waste, and delivering them directly to our families most in need. While practicing social distancing, New Life Movement members will collect fruits and vegetables from your trees, bushes, or gardens and take however much you would like to donate back to our Cafe, where we will prepare baskets for distribution throughout the community. |