We could all use a good news update every now and then! Here’s just one example of how we are working together with our partners to LIVE UNITED and support our community through the Coronavirus Response Fund. Thanks to a generous donation from Liberty Utilities Central to this response fund, we were able to provide funding to several local nonprofits so they can keep offering critical support to their clients, including Lutheran Family and Children’s Services of Missouri, The Salvation Army of Springfield, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield, as well as Tri-Lakes area affiliates Christian Action Ministries, Elevate, OACAC Stone County, and the Caring People. Thank you, Liberty Utilities, for making this possible!
Here’s just one of many success stories from our Coronavirus Response Fund from a client at LFCS:
“Ashley is a single mother of two. She was supposed to start a new job in March, but the employer had to rescind their job offer due to COVID-19. She was worried about her children’s safety and was hesitant to enroll them in daycare. With no family to watch her children, Ashley works odd jobs trying to make ends meet. She has not been able to pay her utilities since March and got a letter in the mail stating they would be shut off in July. When our LFCS social worker, Carmen, visited Ashley, she was visibly worried. Carmen sensed this and asked what was wrong. Ashley explained that she owed over $600 in utility bills but realized she had already received her maximum financial assistance from LFCS through another program. Carmen informed her that we may be able to help due to a generous grant made possible through United Way and Liberty Utilities. Ashley cried and told Carmen that she was her savior and an angel. Without the generous support from United Way of the Ozarks and Liberty Utilities, Ashley and her two young children would be living without electricity or running water.”
Learn more about our response to COVID-19 and join our efforts to support our neighbors through this crisis at uwozarks.org/COVID19.