Community Foundation, United Way join forces during pandemic

United Way, Community Foundation join forces to form COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund

Community Foundation of Washington County (CFWC) and United Way of Washington County staff members include, from left, Tim Luipersbeck, (CFWC); Jocelyn Hauer, (UWWC), Heather Guessford, (UWWC), Allison Dillow, (UWWC) and Stacey Crawford, (CFWC).

written by MEG H. PARTINGTON Submitted photos

When the effects of the coronavirus reached Washington County, organizations that regularly provide financial, nutritional and housing support to the community immediately turned into command centers for distributing funds, food and protective gear.

“Overnight, our numbers doubled, then tripled, then quadrupled,” Amy Olack, CEO of the Washington County Commission on Aging, said of those needing meal assistance.

Government restrictions on the number of people gathering to prevent the spread of COVID-19 meant the closure of the seven congregate sites operated by the commission on aging, where many seniors gather to dine. And those who received Meals on Wheels still needed their deliveries.

Meanwhile, youths were suffering when schools, recreation centers and places of worship were closed.

“We saw … the kids needed some hope,” said Scott Myers, area director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for Western Maryland and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. “They needed something good to happen in their life. They were hurting emotionally, they were hurting spiritually.”

Heather Guessford, president and CEO, United Way of Washington County, prepares to distribute food during a drive-by distribution program.

Countless pleas for aid were heard loud and clear by the Community Foundation of Washington County MD Inc. and the United Way of Washington County.

“We both knew we wanted to help, but we didn’t know where to start,” said Heather Guessford, president and CEO of the United Way, explaining that the organizations have only about four employees each.

Those working with the United Way knew areas most impacted by the pandemic and had what the leader of the community foundation called “boots on the ground” — contact with groups that distribute food and vital supplies. The foundation, meanwhile, has access to big donors, and is focused on promoting philanthropy and being a diligent steward of funding in the community.

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DOT Foods donated 125,000 pounds of food to our community, which was moved to places of need in one day, efforts that were coordinated by Heather Guessford, at left, president and CEO, United Way of Washington County and Stacey Crawford, president and CEO, Community Foundation of Washington County.

“She has access to capital” from corporations and sizable philanthropic groups, Guessford said of Stacey Crawford, president and CEO of the Hagerstown-based community foundation. “We have access to causes, people. They’re all equally as important,” she said. “We both had this urge to do something. It was like two worlds swirling together.”

Those worlds merged to create the COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund to support community-based organizations in the county. The fund provides economic assistance and access to food and supplies for children, families and

“Overnight, our numbers doubled, then tripled, then quadrupled.”

Amy Olack, CEO, Washington County Commission on Aging, referring to those who needed Covid-related meal assistance

households facing a temporary loss of income. According to the United Way’s website (unitedwaywashcounty.org), the fund also is intended to strengthen the community’s ability to prepare for and respond to health and other emergencies, and to support programs and initiatives that are focused on fighting for health, education, basic needs and financial stability.

The drive to raise money began with the foundation securing $100,000 in about 48 hours - starting April 1 - that was to be used as a match for funds contributed by area residents. Then, the community was challenged to raise another $100,000 to “unlock” the matching pool, Crawford said. In a little more than 30 days, that goal was not only reached, but doubled, netting $300,000 when the match was factored in. That does not count the food and personal protective equipment (PPE) contributions that also were immediately doled out throughout the county, she added.

A total of 94 grant requests were received from 65 organizations, and 37 received funding, Crawford said.

The United Way and community foundation became helping hubs, trying to provide support for people desperate for PPE, distilled water, food and money.

“We felt like we were on autopilot,” said Guessford, who took masks, gloves and shoe coverings donated by KIND Therapeutics USA in Hagerstown to agencies and nursing homes.

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Child-care centers couldn’t get enough milk for the children they served, but the United Way was on the case.

“The cavalry has arrived,” Guessford said.

She said DOT Foods donated 125,000 pounds of food, which was moved to places in need in one day. Also rounded up through donations and supply drives were shelf-stable foods, cat litter and cleaning supplies, plus books, puzzles and games to keep people’s brains stimulated during COVID shutdowns.

Some disbursement amounts of note, provided by Guessford: • 768 gallons of milk donated by Save A Lot in Martinsburg, W.Va. • More than 125,000 pounds of perishable food • More than 1,000 pounds of shelf-stable food • More than 2,000 units of PPE • 10,800 dozen eggs Keeping seniors fed, engaged

Among those who received grants from the COVID-relief fund was the Washington County Commission on Aging. The nonprofit received two grants to support its Meals on Wheels program and one for telework operations, said Bradley Tritsch, chief operating officer.

A total of $7,500 went toward senior nutrition, covering the purchase of 2,380 meals, Tritsch said. Another —for $4,270 —

Allison Dillow, at left, director of marketing and engagement, United Way of Washington County, and Madeline Goldstein, United Way of Washington County volunteer and Youth United member, deliver food through the Meals on Wheels program.

was for supplemental nutrition in the form of 3,801 8-ounce containers of milk- and juice-based beverages, he said, along with six can openers and five microwaves for seniors who needed those to prepare meals. The meals and nutrition supplements were distributed to Meals on Wheels participants. A grant for $5,115 indirectly supported Meals on Wheels by allowing the commission on aging’s staff to continue working and assisting seniors with accessing the food-delivery program, Tritsch said. Those in need of nutrition services during the pandemic shutdown were referred into Meals on Wheels.

The coronavirus led to a transition in the way Meals on Wheels typically operates. Instead of delivering one hot meal a day, Monday through Friday, Tritsch said the program shifted to biweekly delivery, serving up to 330 seniors, a schedule that will only be used while COVID-19 is still a threat. Each distribution includes one hot meal and 21 to 27 shelf-stable meals, he explained.

The mobile food-distribution program is “so much larger than a meal delivery,” said Olack, emphasizing that the program is a vital source of socialization. For some people, a delivery person is the only visitor they see on a regular basis. With less frequent food drop-offs happening now, calls are made regularly to check in on clients, she said.

Madeline Goldstein, United Way of Washington County volunteer and Youth United member, helps with Blessing Boxes, which were installed in senior living communities for non-perishable food giveaways. These are similar to little libraries that have been placed in various locations in our community.

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Fellowship of Christian Athletes for Western Maryland and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia hosted a summer camp at Wheaton Park in Hagerstown. The United Way of Washington County and Community Foundation of Washington County COVID-19 emergency assistance fund provided $5,000 toward the sponsorship of the camp. In addition, the United Way of Washington County team volunteered at the camp.

Law-enforcement officers are called for well-being checks if those people don’t answer their phones.

Olack said some didn’t like receiving the calls at first, but now they look forward to the communication.

“For us, it’s really keeping in touch with our clients,” Olack said. “It becomes a part of the new norm.”

The new norm also entailed shortages of shelf-stable foods, particularly in March and April.

“Access was huge, especially in the beginning” of the pandemic, said Olack, who has been the CEO for six years.

Staff members stood in lines to buy the maximum amount of products that stores allowed and used them for seniors’ meals. The commission started placing orders for pickup at Save A Lot, for which grant funds were not used.

The Maryland Food Bank provided what it could, Olack said. And One For Good - a partnership between Healthy Washington County and The Consumer Goods Forum’s Collaboration for Healthier Lives - helped connect the commission on aging with national distributors.

“That has been a huge help to our organization,” she said.

Some organizations and businesses donated truckloads of nonperishable foods, which were given out through the senior center in Hagerstown. When they were not delivering food, commission on aging staff and volunteers were packaging it for distribution, Olack said.

Meanwhile, in-person programs that used to be offered at the sites for seniors have moved to social-media platforms. Olack leads a “living in” series online, during which she has experts on as guests to talk briefly about keeping moving during COVID restrictions, meditation, nutrition and how to safely go to doctors’ appointments for treatment of chronic conditions.

“Adaptation is the key to what I’ve seen,” Olack said. “This community has really rallied, and they really do support each other and rise up.” Nurturing young bodies, spirits

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes wanted to protect the physical and emotional health of area youths, so it applied for a grant to continue operating a day camp and provide scholarships for a leadership program.

Myers, who has been the area director of the FCA for 11 years, said his organization received $5,000, close to $4,000 of which went toward operating a camp at Wheaton Park in Hagerstown. Coaches and athletes from the community led sports programs at no cost for children in the neighborhood, many of whom also attend programming at the Boys & Girls Club of Washington County and the Robert W. Johnson Community Center in Hagerstown, he said.

About 60 children attended this summer’s weeklong camp, learning the nuances of cheerleading, and playing basketball, soccer, football, and backyard sports such as gaga ball, Myers said.

The rest of the grant funds are intended for scholarships for a leadership camp that is attended by some of the youths who assist with the Wheaton Park camp.

Those in grades eight through 12 typically gather in the winter at Spooky Nook Sports and The Warehouse Hotel

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Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and United Way volunteers worked at the FCA summer camp at Wheaton Park in Hagerstown. From left, Stacie Turner, Jocelyn Hauer, Emily Moyers, Qiana Collier, Ruby Afolabi, Allison Dillow.

in Manheim, Pa., where they listen to speakers of note talk about faith and are inspired “to lead for Christ. … We want these kids to be the leaders of tomorrow,” Myers said. “It’s a phenomenal week. It’s a great facility, too.”

When interviewed in September, Myers wasn’t sure if the leadership event would take place in 2020 due to COVID restrictions. If it doesn’t, he plans to save the scholarship funds for the following year.

The pandemic led to the cancellation of some other FCA-organized activities, including a golf scramble that typically brings in $4,000 to $5,000 for the leadership camp scholarships.

“We’re feeling the pinch like everyone else,” Myers said, adding that the grant was a saving grace.

“It was a key piece for us,” Myers said. “That was such a blessing.”

Also off the calendar for 2020 were multisport camps held for more than 15 years at sites like Williamsport High School that are attended by 250 to 300 kids ages 8 to 14, Myers said. An outdoor camp that typically takes place in mid-July at the Izaak Walton League and neighboring Fraternal Order of Police grounds in Hagerstown also was canceled. When it was offered in 2019, 96 youths experienced archery, rifles, canoeing, fishing and other adventures in nature with the help of more than 50 volunteers, he said. Waiting to give

The coronavirus forced the Community Foundation of Washington County to postpone Washington County Gives to Sept. 22 from its original date in May. The 24-hour, online giving promotion allows local nonprofit agencies to raise unrestricted dollars, and receive matching funds and prize money.

In seven years, the fundraiser has generated more than $3 million for the community, according to the foundation’s website (cfwcmd.org).

“It’s more about leveraging the masses” than getting big donations all at once, said Crawford, who is in her second year as president and CEO of the foundation. The minimum donation is $10, but there is no maximum.

In early September, the United Way was still doing some pandemic relief, but was focusing on preparing for the 29th annual Day of Caring set for Sept. 17, Guessford said. That day, hundreds of volunteers typically perform a variety of service projects at local nonprofit organizations and at homes of the elderly and/or disabled and military veterans. The previous year, a record-breaking 1,804 volunteers worked on 146 projects, according to the organization’s website.

Reflecting on the COVID-relief grants, Crawford said the foundation made sure the money was used locally.

“We had promised the community that it would be placed in the hands of the community,” she said. “We feel fairly good … that people were smart with their resources. I think everyone will come out able to serve,” she said of the nonprofits given financial assistance. — Places.

Want to donate?

To make a donation to the COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund, go to unitedwaywashcounty.org/ covid-19-action. For more information

Community Foundation of Washington County MD Inc. cfwcmd.org | 301-745-5210 Western Maryland/Eastern Panhandle Fellowship of Christian Athletes westernmdfca.org | 301-331-9174 United Way of Washington County unitedwaywashcounty.org 301-739-8200

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