By Fr. Daniel Pinell
In my first post on unemployment, I gave a brief summary of what we have learned about helping others in need. In this post, I want to share briefly 3 things you can do to help those affected by unemployment/underemployment in our city:
1. Donate and/or become a subscriber of Dignity Coffee: if you enjoy a warm cup of java every morning (or two, if you are like me!) then Dignity Coffee is a no-brainer. They have delicious coffee beans at great prices that are delivered to your doorstep! Even better, these subscriptions employ many who are unemployed or underemployed in the city of Ocala!
2. Donate to Interfaith Services: Interfaith Services have seen their numbers of people seeking relief quadruple during this crisis! They are offering rent relief and help with utilities. This is currently their greatest need, so any donations help! Interfaith mentioned that they are doing OK with food at the moment, but they are concerned about food supply for June, July, and August. Food donations for those months would also be hugely appreciated!
3. Help us spread the word on Marion’s County rent assistance program for those impacted by the COVID-19 crisis! I believe we will see an uptick of affected folks seeking help to pay for rent. We are already seeing a need for this, but the coming months will most likely be the toughest for them. This program and others like it will become essential as we help those affected by this crisis.
These are three things you can do right now to help the unemployment crisis in Ocala. I am working on getting more avenues for help shortly, so stay tuned if you are interested in helping!
