In the face of adversity, we are always grateful for good news. Ours is that, fortunately, no one on our staff, and no one in their immediate families, has been diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus at this point. We are so thankful for the continued good health and safety of our team and their loved ones. This also means that we can continue to work at full capacity and fulfil our obligation to clients as we work safely from home.
Our team has found another reason to smile, because some of our favorite organizations are taking action to help their communities, especially the most vulnerable populations. While many of these organizations regularly help those in need, their efforts to continue, or ramp up, these vital services are inspiring. We decided to highlight some of them for you and hope that you will share this post, donate to the organizations named or simply be inspired to show kindness to someone else in need.
Unshattered’s mission is to end relapse by providing employment and job skills training for women in recovery from addiction. As of March 20, the company shifted operations from making handbags from upcycled materials to making face masks to fulfill the urgent shortage in New York State during the pandemic. They have received hundreds of requests for masks, so to help meet the need, Unshattered is asking for community support. You can help by: Donating, purchasing stock products made prior to 3/20 or by contributing to the community mask program by sewing and dropping off masks in Unshattered’s locked drop box at 1064 Route 82 Hopewell Junction NY.
Founded in 1879, Family Services brings people together to find the support they need, with program areas including Behavioral Health, Victim Services, Family Programs, Youth Services, Community Safety and Prevention. During the COVID-19 crisis, staff have shifted to working remotely and the organization continues to provide uninterrupted services to clients and community members, through phone and tele-health forums. To learn more, you can visit Family Services’ Facebook page for the latest updates.
The organization has 24-hour hotline services available:
• Family Services Rape Crisis and Crime Victims Hotline: 845-452-7272
• Family Services Domestic Violence Hotline: 845-485-5550
• Dutchess County Helpline: 845-485-9700
• Ulster County Crisis Intervention: 845-338-2370
• Orange County Crisis Intervention: 1-888-750-2266
For more than 35 years, Hudson Valley Hospice has provided a full spectrum of compassionate care and support to individuals with life limiting illness and their loved ones, throughout Dutchess and Ulster counties. During the COVID-19 pandemic, its clinical staff is continuing to care for more than 300 vulnerable patients and their loved ones 24/7, through both visits and telemedicine options (to mitigate contact and spread). If someone you love is in need of hospice care, or if you want to make a referral, please call 845-240-7555 or visit www.hvhospice.org. To donate to HV Hospice, click here. To donate masks, follow these instructions and drop them off in a sealed Ziploc bag with your name, phone number and email or physical address to either 374 Violet Avenue in Poughkeepsie or 400 Aaron Court in Kingston.
To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, The Arc of Dutchess, one of the region’s largest nonprofit organizations devoted to people with disabilities and their families, has closed all Day Habilitation and Community Pre-Vocational sites (at both Lagrange and Dover), as well as all large-scale respite-based activities. However, the nonprofits’ Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) continue to offer critical support to those served by The Arc of Dutchess’ residential programs. The organization has also been advocating for a coronavirus relief bill that includes DSPs and people with disabilities, who are particularly vulnerable. To support them in advocating, and for more updates on the organization’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, follow The Arc of Dutchess on Facebook. You may also support by donating to the organization.
We hope that this round-up of organizations inspires you to do something good today. In times of trouble, look for the helpers, as Fred Rogers’ mother told him as young boy. Better yet, we encourage you to be a helper. Together, we will get through this.