Stories from our grantee partners that show courage, hope, and caring in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nourishing the Body & Spirit
"Pack life” is critical to the success of students at Kingdom Prep Lutheran High School (KP). With virtual school, it keeps students motivated and accountable to each other. But, it was harder to maintain the spirit of the pack in a virtual setting. COVID-19 also added to existing financial struggles for many KP families. When school leaders realized that many families were not able to put a hot nutritious meal on the dinner table, they created a partnership with Upstart Kitchen and Just One More Ministry to provide 60+ family dinners per week. “It was a nice way of offering families some relief while we asked them to step-up their academic game,” said Founder and Principal Kevin Festerling.
Summer Camp Continues
The COVID-19 pandemic derailed Kids Working To Succeed's (KWTS) summer plans. Nonetheless, the youth of All Peoples Church in the Harambee neighborhood had a wonderful summer camp experience! About 24 young people between the ages of 8-17 participated. They were divided into family groups and worked in the ministry garden. They rotated between Bible study and tending to one of their three garden plots. At the end of programming, each student received a plant to care for.
Cast your Bread Upon the Waters
As early as April, medical providers of the Bread of Healing Clinic realized how important it is to reach patients by any means possible, so they picked up the phone and started making calls. These “wellness checks,” 300 per month since April, helped assess mental wellbeing, discuss preventative measures, and connect patients with other resources in the community. This led to a 24% increase in telemedicine counseling visits. Despite fewer volunteer physicians, increased costs, and the pandemic’s inherent health risk to staff, this free clinic in Milwaukee continues to help communities most impacted by pandemic.
Learning in a Lock Down
Wisconsin Inmate Education Association is a Bachelor of Arts program, which operates within Waupun Correctional Institution. For months there was a complete lockdown with no in-person classes and 24/7 isolation. During this time, both students and professors worked hard to set up a cumbersome system of “old-school learning” (virtual classes were not possible) but learning continued. In the last few weeks, in-person teaching has resumed and is only an hour a day but this hour is priceless for the students and their professors. One quote from a student says it all, “One of the most important lessons I have learned during this abnormal process is this—that man is not meant to struggle alone.”