A couple months back, I promised to give away 100% of what we took in from the Working with Fear program . . .
. . . and send it all to organizations responding to the COVID-19 crisis.
Now it’s time to report in on where the money went.
But first, a little behind the scenes. You see, COVID-19 has impacted everyone differently.
So we sought out organizations responding to different aspects of the pandemic – from frontline medical work to food assistance and beyond. We looked for people doing good work right here in our own community as well as overseas.
We also wanted to support organizations serving the homeless, who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19.
And we donated to bail funds in some of the hard-hit cities, because the conditions in jails make it impossible for people (who are not yet proven guilty) to protect themselves from COVID-19. This disproportionately affects the poor, who may not be able to afford even a small amount of bail while waiting for a trial.
I’m sharing this list in hope that it inspires others.
Now let’s get to the list:
Local
Connecticut Food Bank – $15,000
Covenant Soup Kitchen – $10,000
Foodshare.org – $10,000
Louis Goffinet – $7,000
A local middle school teacher who used his time during the pandemic to grocery shop for families struggling financially. Here’s an article about his work.
Access Agency, Willimantic – $3,000
The United States
Partners in Health – $20,000
Responding to the Navajo Nation COVID-19 crisis.
Family Independence Initiative – $10,000
Delivering cash transfers to families hard hit by the economic crisis.
The Bowery Mission – $10,000
Serving the homeless in New York City, the first US epicenter of the pandemic.
Coalition for the Homeless – $6,000
Brooklyn Community Bail Fund – $5,000
Getting people who are awaiting trial out of jail, where they cannot protect themselves from COVID-19.
Chicago Community Bail Fund – $5,000
Philadelphia Community Bail Fund – $5,000
The World
International Rescue Committee – $25,000
Working in densely populated refugee camps where social distancing is impossible.
Partners in Health – $25,000
Doctors Without Borders – $20,000
Save the Children – $20,000
The Citizen’s Foundation – $15,000
Delivering food to people at risk of starvation due to the shutdown in Pakistan, and getting “teleschool” up and running on state TV.
Evidence Action – $12,000
Delivering soap and sanitizer to people living in extreme poverty in rural Africa.
I’d love to hear about the good work that you support during these challenging times. Please tell me about it in the comments below.
I unemployed volunteerd my time during intellegent lockdown for the following;
Volunteerd cleaning the shopping baskets and trollies at a local super market.
Volunteerd at a meditation center to prepare the building for covid-19 resistrictions code and conduct rules and removed/washed all meditation gomdem/sabuton covers and replaced them back and set up meditation halls to adhere to 1 1/2m sitting rules.
Volunteerd meeting lonely elderly and have contact with them during lockdown period and regular follow up conversations.
Volunteerd gardening
I haven’t gotten any help at all from any one. I was fired due to my 5 year old twins being diagnosed with covid-19. I cant even get unemployment…….
Wow…May this sample of human behaviour serve as a beacon light for others to follow.
I was self employed trying to make ends meet by running a small dog sitting and walking business but with covid19 I am struggling and now trying to get on housing vouchers.
Sincerely ,
Lilla Holcomb
Miigwetch to all of you! It is so encouraging to see that philanthropy is alive and well is these difficult economic times and that if we share what we have, it can help that many more! Melody
Good for you.
My stimulus check went to several organizations, food banks, IRC, Doctors Without borders, and others. some of the same your $ went to. I figured I can get by on what I have and i know there are lots of others who can’t.
Robert Cable, Coronado Hypnotherapy
What an amazing and wonderful work. I am so glad to know that there are compassionate and open minded institutions like nicabm in the world to make a difference!
Afsaneh
How wonderful that so many people got to benefit from MICAMB donations. Thank you for sharing the news.
Thank you so much for this, to fulfill the promise and let us know; I frankly didn’t remember or didn’t think about this, and today I really appreciate having been part of the course, for more reasons than only having received useful and valuable insights.
I was grateful to see your grounded and good choices, so happy to see the Navajo Nation, Doctors without Borders, Save the Children…., on your list.
Here in Europe, as it is in your country, we have more than one way to participate to the changes we’re hoping for, so as support of local and international organizations, benevolent help, manifestations for women’s right, racial and social justice and of course voting power.
I send my best wishes as we all move forward, sometimes joining through your courses, and working for what we hope for the world’s healing and future generations
Warmly Marie
Love and oodles of blessings on you, Ruth. May this year treat you well and bring you joy . . . and even more wisdom!!
Emmett Miller, MD
I am volunteering with an organization of therapists which offers our services to front line nurses and doctors who need support. Some need just to have a shoulder and an ear once in a while, while others opted for a weekly session. Thanks to telemedicin it is possible to do from the comfort of my home. I am still continuing to offer my services to my clients and supervisees, and dropped my fees to minimum. It is rewarding to think that at 78 I can still be active. Adversity is a great opportunity.
Thigh I an Canadian I am currently in Israel due to the Corona.
Good on you Hannah . Health professionals cannot react at work and have to suppress their emotions . I am sure the health workers of Israel are buoyed by your wisdom and kindness.
Such great sounding organizations! I also like Streetlight USA. it is a group home for girls who have been rescued from sex trafficking in Glendale, AZ. I like From Darkness to Light, a national prevention and education program to help adults learn how to protect children from sexual abuse. And I like the New life Center in Goodyear, AZ that provides shelter, education, food and other services to individuals and families who are victims of DV.
This is fantastic. Thank you for caring about neighbors in community, US, and the world. It makes me glad and proud to be a part of the NICABM network and support these donations. I support Bread for the World, Feeding South Dakota, and our ELCA churches locally, nationwide, and globally.
Well done. I hope this encourages other corporations and businesses to step up also.
What breadth of generosity!
I have continued giving a tithe to my church as many people probably aren’t doing that while not attending. My church in turn has sent money to Asia to help feed and support people during the Pandemic. Other services are supported also.
Oh how wonderful. You folks are so generous
God bless you all
With so many organizations and individuals to choose from, I applaud the effort made to find these grassroots and larger organizations doing such important work to distribute resources too.
This is another demonstration of the care, thorough and thoughtful approach that is consistent of why I value NICABM.
Thank you,
Betsy
I am so glad to see all the grass roots organizations in your list. THANKS for your transparency!
Oh my Goodness I had no idea you were going to do this. Thank you so much, very inspiring!
Maureen, LCSW
Thrilled to hear that the money is going towards those in need.
Anne Maree
Thank you for doing so much. Indirectly your nicabm webibars and freebies have helped me to do pro bono work with stressed people in my community in Johannesburg and by telehealth in Cape Town. As you know, it does us good to give, and to receive. Andrew Swart- Counselling Psychologist, South Africa
Well done! Keep it up the good work ❤️
This is incredible! What great use of funds.
This is very moving. Thank you.
Thank you for supporting all of these wonderful causes and for the wonderful clinical contributions NICABM is continuing to make during this Pandemic.
There is now an APA Interdivisional Task Force on the Pandemic (under the direction of Charles Finley of the Trauma Div (Div 56), for which I chair the Hospital Workers, Patients and Families working group. We include ALL Hospital Workers in COVID hospitals (janitors, food preparers, the “unsung heroes”), not only Medical responders. Part of our mission is to collect, create and disseminate relevant resources of use to the populations we serve. There are other working groups as well, including Interpersonal Violence, Older Adults and their Caregivers, Children and Families and more.
I hope it is not inappropriate to make this request here, but if NICABM or private individuals have videos, webinars, articles relevant to my Working Group, you may contact me at
CoronaPsych20@gmail.com (Maureen O’Reilly-Landry) with a description of what you have, I can send a Mission Statement to anyone who requests it.
Of particular interest to me are articles and webinars addressing the non-medical personnel in COVID hospitals, as I don’t believe their situation and needs have been much addressed, nor have the needs of the Hospitalized Patients and Families.
*Correcting typo above:
under the direction of Charles Figley
(of “compassion fatigue” fame)
Your choices are so grounded and practical… I am very moved by your generosity of spirit towards the suffering ones. This is also reflected in the care and commitment you offer in your excellent training programmes. My sincere thanks to you all.
This is really wonderful. I loved reading about where the donations were made. Heartwarming!
I also was not aware of you commitment to offer help. These donations are wonderful, Great that you were able to provide support to those in need. Since I was able to continue to work via Telehealth sessions, I distributed my stimulus check to others who were not able to work such as hair dressers, cleaning women, and another individual in my office building to assist with their rent. Whatever we can do to pass on to those in need make for a better world. Thank you for your support.
I was not aware of your promise, so was very glad to read here that you have donated a considerable amount of money to various organizations and people in need. My sincere congratulations, and thanks for that action of generosity.
As a retired single person I can not report on mine but very modest donations, not worth of mention.
Ruzica Cicak-Chand, PhD
Oh my heck!! So much good!! Very impressed to see the Navajo Nation on the list!! Keep up the GREAT work!
Candis
I worked to procure money from our local paper to buy grocery cards for 12 of our families at the grade 9/10 school where i counsel anxious and grieving students. We were able to distribute $3000 to them over 8 weeks. In the process an anonymous person gave me another $250 to give to a parent who was having to deal with spousal abuse and who had little control of her household finances. Some of our students were becoming shut-ins and we felt that was unnecessary and unhealthy so we offered a dial-a-walk service to them; they just had to call and one of us would drive by and go for a distancing walk with them or even just visit from the curb. Our students were very conscious of the Black Lives Matter struggle and we helped them find ways to safely participate in anti-racism action.