Virus creates the never-ending unknown that is reshaping Alabama nonprofits

COVID-19 2020

Volunteers at the NE YMCA wear their masks at the food giveaway. They provided produce, milk and children's books to those who needed the items. Alabamians cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. (Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com).Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

After four months of soft contributions, record demands on services and no end in sight from the coronavirus pandemic, Birmingham-area nonprofits are settling in: Most will be forced to change their service models and operate under much tighter budgets. And even as they are needed the most, the decreased revenue means some may struggle to provide traditional services.

Chris Nanni, CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, said nonprofits initially were in a state of panic, scrambling to serve but facing nothing but uncertainty. The community foundation serves the Birmingham area including Blount, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby and Walker counties. The foundation has polled nonprofits in the Birmingham area twice since the pandemic began to determine nonprofits needs and concerns about their services and the pandemic.

“I feel like people felt like we thought we would be over it by now. Now, there’s a sense of normalcy. People have adjusted. What’s clear in (our) second needs assessment is that the unknown is just really eating people away,” Nanni said.

Brett Meredith, CEO of the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, says pandemic is not just a major health crisis, but bordering on what he calls an “economic disaster.”

“The lockdown created severe economic stress on culture and economy. Many people who’ve never had to ask for help are having to ask for help,” he said.

Sandy Naramore, of Magic Moments, a wish-granting organization serving sick children in Alabama, said she feels like the reality of COVID-19 world has set in.

Just before the pandemic began, Magic Moments received payment for its largest fundraiser, the Tum Tum Tree Wine Auction, which is held in November every year.

“What’s going to happen next year? That’s when Magic Moments will feel it the worst. If (the Tum Tum Tree Wine Auction) is not a successful event this year, it’s going to kill our budget,” Naramore said.

Magic Moments has also had to shift the way how it reveals each child’s wish. Naramore said her staff has had fun finding creative ways to make the reveals just as special as they were before the pandemic began.

The reveals are typically done in public places, but Naramore said they’ve had to get more creative with the reveals to comply with social distancing rules.

For one boy in Attalla, Naramore had Mickey Mouse come to his house to tell him his wish to go to Disney World had been granted.

Magic Moments pandemic changes

Magic Moments, a wish-granting organization serving sick children in Alabama, has been forced to change the way it provides wish reveals for children due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (photo courtesy of Magic Moments).

For organizations like the Salvation Army and the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, the pandemic has caused an exponential demand for their services. Both organizations have had to both shift how they provide services and increase service output at the same time.

The food bank has added 60 new agency partners and is expanding its school feeding program. The Salvation Army has also expanded its feeding program and seen an increased demand for services like utility and rent assistance.

“We’ve gone from serving around 60,000-70,000 people per month to now serving 100,000 to 110,000 people per month,” said Brett Meredith, CEO of the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama.

Meredith began his role in May. He said things were in rough shape when he arrived. The food bank warehouse was around 50 percent full, much lower than the stock it typically keeps. Supply chain shortages and shortages of leftover food from grocery stores hit the food bank hard. Meredith said the supply chain is better now, but he said they’re still only getting around 80 percent of what they typically get from grocery stores.

“The challenges are still there and going to be there,” he said.

The demand on organizations providing food assistance is high, and all those organizations are bidding on the same food supplies, which are still strained. Getting access to certain foods like canned green vegetables is still hit and miss.

The food bank has purchased a new freezer and will be able to store more frozen goods. Having more frozen goods means more products the food bank will be able to offer. If you need food, you can find a food pickup location at the Community Food Bank website.

Social distancing and cleaning requirements mean the Salvation Army employees’ workload increased nearly four-fold.

At the beginning of the pandemic, around 145 people were staying in the shelter. Most of those people would leave the shelter during the day, but once stay-at-home orders came down, they started staying in the shelter 24/7.

“When the virus hit, so many were laid off and all of a sudden we had people who needed to stay 24/7, which was a real change. We had staffing issues and had to change patterns. Keeping the building clean became a huge issue,” said Maj. Charles Powell, who runs operations for the Salvation Army in the Birmingham area.

Salvation Army typically provides around 500 meals per day. Instead of just having one feeding time for each meal, staff broke it into four shifts for each meal in order to ensure social distancing.

The organization has also started a drive-through feeding program, where people can come pick up a meal. A mobile feeding program providing meals for those experiencing homelessness has also grown, now feeding around 50 per day.

Instead of those needing help with social services or bill assistance coming inside to talk to someone on staff, drive-through service is now available. Patrons stay in their cars, providing a barrier between staffers and patrons.

To connect with the Salvation Army, call (205) 328-2420 or visit their website.

Nonprofits providing education services are also being forced to change how they provide learning experiences.

Camp McDowell, which provides education experiences through its outdoor experiences and farm, is having to figure out how to provide the same learning experiences through a screen instead of the hands-on approach.

Many of the schools who planned to spend a week at Camp McDowell have canceled their trips, leaving the organization with basically no income for months.

While it’s hard to provide a large group a hands-on experiences with nature, camp staff is working to find ways for students to experience nature virtually.

Camp McDowell

Instructors hike through the EC Canyon at Camp McDowell in Nauvoo, Alabama. (photo courtesy of Camp McDowell).

“We’re trying to do virtual classes with our schools, but you can’t replace bringing a kid here and letting them milk a goat. We may not be able to bring them here, but we can use virtual lessons to reach kids and get people here safely,” said Scotty Feltman, director of the Farm School at McDowell.

Even though they can’t provide the same level of in-person learning experiences for school children, Camp McDowell is now offering these learning experiences for families through what they’re calling Family Camp.

“It’s so essential to still be able to offer something.The question is how are we going to morph completely for years to provide outdoor education, environmental or farm school education to people? We know the value of them. We believe in what we’re doing here,” said Beth Dille, director of the Environmental Center.

At Family Camp, families can come stay at a lodge at Camp McDowell and take the classes typically offered to students. It’s set up so families can avoid contact with others at camp while also having safe outdoor education experiences.

Aside from the education, Dille said she thinks the family camps can also provide an escape for people experiencing stress and mental health struggles associated with staying at home.

This concern over mental health was also reflected in the Community Foundation’s second nonprofit survey, which found mental health as the third most pressing concern below basic living expenses and job and income loss for nonprofit workers.

“We see the toll remote working is taking on relationships within staffs. Everyone is feeling this disconnectedness. It exacerbates the mental health component of this,” Nanni said.

Those who need mental health assistance should call Crisis Center Birmingham at 205-323-7777.

Restrictions on large gatherings have made it difficult to hold large fundraising events.

Magic Moments’ second-largest fundraiser, the BHM 26.2 Marathon, is also facing uncertainty. While the funds from sponsorships are in, it’s still likely the race won’t bring in as much money as it typically does for Magic Moments.

The race was rescheduled for October 4, but organizers say they’re still working through permits, a social distanced start line and contactless drink stations on the course.

“Every day we have to change something,” said Anna Martin, co-founder of the race.

Changes to the race mean the experience won’t be the same one you would typically get at the BHM 26.2. Organizers said runner times may not be as fast as they expected due to the changes, especially the self-serve water stops.

“This race truly will be for kids,” said Stephanie Moore, race cofounder.

“It makes me sad. The majority of what these nonprofits get is somehow dependent on us. You somehow feel responsible, but there’s nothing you can do.”

Moore and Martin haven’t announced the details of race day, but expect to do that in the coming weeks.

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