COVID-19 RESPONSE FUND

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Covid Response

We continue walking with young people in new ways through this crisis. Food distribution has become critical as many families lose jobs and sources of income as a result of this pandemic, with over 500 new applications requesting food in just 48 hours and one neighborhood. We invite you to join the efforts as we expand food distribution to over 3,000 families in six neighborhoods, continue walking with young people, and strengthening communities in Chicagoland. We are Stronger Together!

Donate

Please select General fund and note Stronger Together in the comments

Get Involved

We are looking for cardboard boxes and a used refrigerated box truck for food distribution and delivery! Ideal box: 20x16x10 medium-heavy cardboard grade with a volume of 1.5 cubic feet and can hold 35-40 lbs.
Contact partner@nullnewlifecenters.org with insight or leads.

Pray

  • Peace: Pray for peace in Chicago and that people would find healing and hope in the face of increased trauma and anxiety.
  • The Community: Pray for provision and strength for families seeking basic provision, transitioning to e-learning, and enduring quarantine social isolation.
  • Team: Pray for wisdom and strength for the New Life Centers team as we pivot to virtual programming, increased food distribution, and social limitations to street outreach.

Give

  • Fund: Give to the Stronger Together Fund to come around young people and their families during this critical time. Help us support families struggling during this time and let them know they are not alone. We are stronger together!
  • Corporate Donations:
    • Food: Food donations in bulk will help us fill the increasing demand for weekly boxes of healthy food.
    • Heavy Duty Packing Tape & Boxes: Donations of heavy duty packing tape and boxes in bulk will meet a critical need for packing boxes. Ideal box: 20x16x10 medium-heavy cardboard grade with a volume of 1.5 cubic feet and can hold 35-40 lbs.
    • Personal Protective Equipment: Gloves, masks, and cleaning supplies will help ensure volunteers distributing food remain healthy as they do this critical work.
    • Technology: Laptops and tablets in bulk and good condition will go to young people needing this technology to complete their e-learning through the rest of this academic year.
    • Please e-mail partner@nullnewlifecenters.org with corporate donation opportunities.

Serve

  • Cleaning Help: After multiple construction projections, our Humboldt Park building is dusty and dirty. We’re looking for a group willing to help us prepare for our vibrant summer programming by dusting and cleaning our offices and classrooms. E-mail volunteer@nullnewlifecenters.org
  • Food Distribution: As food distribution expands, so does our need for volunteers to pack, hand out, and/or deliver food. We’re looking for committed, weekly volunteers to join! See below to find a location and time slot that fits your availability. Please contact the site and wait to hear back before arriving.

Little Village (Lawndale)
2657 South Lawndale
Every day, various times
Click on this link to fill out a volunteer form on a computer (phone submissions do not work).

Little Village (Karlov)
2759 South Karlov
Wednesdays, 7-10am; 10am-12:30pm; 12-2pm
Email ophuslittlevillage@nullgmail.com

Brighton Park
4155 S Rockwell St.
Tuesdays, 2-6:30pm
Email miker@nullnewlifechicago.org

Mont Clare
2501 North Nordica Ave
Wednesdays, 1-3pm; 5-6pm
Email  luisr@nullnewlifechicago.org

Humboldt Park
1410 North Springfield
Wednesdays, 5-8pm
Email drewfarlett@nullyahoo.com

Albany Park
3729 W Leland Ave.
Tuesdays (delivery drivers), 4-6pm; Mon-Wed (administrative help), anytime
Email TroyL@nullnewlifechicago.org

Midway
5101 South Keeler
Saturdays, 9am-6pm (especially 12-5pm)
Email jlopezpt@nullgmail.com

Donate

Please select General fund and note Stronger Together in the comments

Highlights

Virtual Visit – Join Us on May 23rd!

Since we can’t host you in person, we want to invite you to our 2020 Virtual Visit on May 23rd!
Join us and meet some of the people behind the stories and get a personal look at what it takes to care for the vulnerable right now.

Ask any pressing questions and see how you can be part of extending hope in Chicagoland!

Invite a friend and RSVP at newlifecenters.org/visit

Barack Obama Instagram Shoutout!

Barack Obama highlighted the vital work of mentoring and why adapting to expand food distribution to families is so important during this crisis on Instagram! He shares that “It doesn’t take a pandemic to see how vital mentorship programs are to our communities—they ensure young people, especially those growing up in underserved neighborhoods, don’t get left behind.”

View this post on Instagram

⁣It doesn’t take a pandemic to see how vital mentorship programs are to our communities—they ensure young people, especially those growing up in underserved neighborhoods, don’t get left behind. I’d like to share the story of one mentorship organization going above and beyond in my hometown. ⠀ ⠀ Since 2005, New Life Centers of Chicagoland, a MBK Alliance Seed Community partner organization, has been providing mentorship and outreach to kids in the Little Village, Brighton Park, Humboldt Park, and Midway neighborhoods. The idea is that mentors and youth “walk together” through life—not just in the big moments, but through all the milestones in between so they never have to feel like they’re alone.⠀ ⠀ New Life Centers knew that this crisis wouldn’t just change the way their mentorship programming worked––they knew they had to adapt to meet the new needs of the youth they served. And for a lot of the families in their neighborhoods, the crisis has made a disproportionate impact. It meant hunger. It meant loss. But it didn’t mean losing hope. ⠀ ⠀ Since Chicago started sheltering in place, New Life Centers has been safely distributing healthy food to more than 400 families a week. They’ve also kept up their mentoring, tutoring, street outreach and even deployed video game consoles for virtual tournaments to keep up a little joyful communication and competition while families stay home. They’re still making sure that no kid has to walk alone, even if they can’t walk together right now. ⠀ ⠀ When you ask New Life Centers staff what keeps them motivated to see this work through, it’s an answer that rings true for so many organizations just like theirs: “Our young people keep us motivated. We know they’re facing the same challenges we are. And that’s why we do the work. We just want to make sure they know they have someone in their corner.”

A post shared by Barack Obama (@barackobama) on