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FAMILY PROMISE OF THE CAPITAL REGION – COVID-19 RESPONSE – PLEASE SHARE
Dear Supporters of Family Promise,
Our mission continues as COVID-19 has changed our way of life. A few days before it was known that the virus had reached New York State, one of our guest families moved into their apartment. We were so happy and eager to see them settled and to open the program to a new family. Then it hit. As the recommendations on social distancing became known and the orders from the Governor’s Office were issued, we changed gears each step of the way. Our two present guest families are sheltering in place at our Day Center and we are “door-step dropping” needed items to our graduated families and those who seek our help.
There are more than 200 Family Promise affiliates in the United States. Our mission to provide shelter for homeless families is the same yet our way of raising funds to carry out our mission varies. Our affiliate does not accept government funding and we are the only local family shelter that does not have a contract with the Department of Social Services (DSS). This simply means we are not paid by the government to shelter families. We also do not charge our guest families who have income for our services. Our decision not to seek to be a contracted shelter allows us to help all families that meet our eligibility We frequently help families that DSS is not able to serve. This happens often when a family can’t provide documents to prove their homelessness such as an eviction letter or a termination letter from an employer.
In recent weeks, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have received emails and calls from volunteers and supporters offering assistance. We are very grateful to so many of you who have spontaneously called and dropped off needed items or made a donation. The truth is nobody knows how long this pandemic will last and the financial implications it will have on our mission.
We will not be having our annual fundraiser at Glennpeter Diamond Centre and it is likely we will not have our spring benefit concert. The proceeds of both events support our Family Assistance Fund, which is used to cover the unmet needs of our current families, graduated families and those on the verge of homelessness. If you would like to offer a donation to offset the loss of income for the Family Assistance Fund, please consider using the link below to our website. I have also included a list of items which can be dropped off at the backdoor of our Day Center during daylight hours. If you are dropping off items, please park in the Bethany Reformed Church lot. The Day Center is the brick house with the big white van in the driveway and is on the opposite side of the church near the parking lot exit sign. Look for the big blue clothing donation bins which are near the slate walkway behind the house that leads to the back door.
How can you help?
Here are some examples of what your donation can do:
$15 a large supply of paper towels $50 One month supply of size 6 diapers
$100 basic groceries for a family of four for one week
$500 will cover about half of the monthly rent for a family with reduced income
Monetary donations and gift cards to grocery stores can be mailed to:
Family Promise of the Capital Region
738 New Scotland Ave
Albany, NY 12208
Online donations can be made using this link:
https://www.familypromisecr.org/donate/
List of needed items that be dropped off at the back door of our Day Center (738 New Scotland Ave. Albany)
The items with * are more urgently needed. We serve three families that use size 6 diapers.
*Size 6 Diapers
*Cleaning supplies
Paper towels
Antibacterial wipes
Shampoo and Conditioner
Body Wash
Sponges
laundry soap
For those of you not leaving your home but would like to donate a specific item, feel free to order from our Amazon Wish List.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/ls?ref_=navm_ftr_wl
Some of the items are out of stock but as the items become available, they will be mailed to the Day Center. If you are not comfortable ordering from Amazon, but would like to have an item mailed here, please feel free to choose another retailer. Family Promise of the Capital Region is a charity listed with AmazonSmile. If you register with AmazonSmile and select Family Promise of the Capital Region as your chosen charity, Amazon will deposit a donation into our bank account.
As we move forward together and adjust accordingly to remain safe, I wish to thank everyone who supports our mission. It seems to me that help provided person-to-person is the key to coming out of this pandemic as a stronger community. On behalf of the families we serve and our board of directors, I wish you all continued good health.
With Gratitude,
Mary
Mary Giordano
Executive Director
Family Promise of the Capital Region
518-650-8895
www.familypromisecr.org
Donate | Family Promise of the Capital Region
Donate On behalf of the Family Promise of the Capital Region Board of Directors, we invite you to consider a donation to support our mission during this very challenging time. We are presently serving two homeless families who are sheltering-in-place at our Day Center and 16 families who are either….
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