General Agency
- We received a shipment of PPE equipment from the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Meals
- Individuals picking up food during our daily distribution in Uptown are reporting that they are having extreme difficulty accessing computers and internet due to the closure of public computer labs. This is impacting their ability to ensure that they receive stimulus checks, access benefits, etc.
- Many participants also report that shelters are more strictly enforcing shelter in place orders, limiting their movement considerably. For many people, stopping by Inspiration Cafe is their only outing of the day.
Inspiration Kitchens
- We leveraged direct support funds through our Millennium Garages Fund to assist participants in purchasing additional minutes for cell phone service to assist them in accessing employment opportunities.
- Responses to last week’s survey on students’ ability to access online learning materials were positive, and we are moving to push more of our content online, from orientation to intake, and are looking to develop an e-learning curriculum.
Housing
- We have successfully moved two households out of homelessness and into housing over the last week.
Outreach
- Assisting participants who are unbanked and have not filed taxes recently in obtaining stimulus funds from the federal government has been a challenge for our outreach team.
Jericho
- Jericho scholars are averaging A’s and B’s in their midterm check-ins. Scholars are successfully adapting to the online learning environment.
Ways to Help
If you are interested in contributing to Inspiration Corporation during this difficult time, please reach out to giving@inspirationcorp.org.
- Our Amazon Wishlist has items we are most in need of, and orders will ship directly to the Cafe (“Gift Registry Address” at checkout).