Linda uses her stimulus check to support Interfaith Outreach
When a check with a very specific amount – $1,200 to be exact – arrived at Interfaith Outreach, our team contacted the donor and thanked her for the very substantial first-ever gift. Interestingly, it was the exact amount of the government COVID-19 stimulus checks.
This was not a coincidence.
The donor, Linda, had never given or volunteered for Interfaith Outreach but she had a heart full of gratitude for the work we do in partnership with the community.
She tells us, “Interfaith is one of the charities my church supports and it’s local. Plus, I like that you offer many types of support. I like to think my donation might pay rent for someone about to be evicted because they have been forbidden to go to work. I have lived paycheck to paycheck so I understand the struggle. Now that I am in a place to do so, I feel a need to support others in their need. When I thought about what the stimulus money could do for me versus what it could do for others with true needs, I couldn’t keep it.”
Linda is not the only amazing person that has stepped up to make a large first-time gift or a larger than normal repeat gift recently. At least a half dozen people have made donations using some or all of their stimulus check funds.
Thanks to people like Linda, Interfaith Outreach is able to meet the needs of the families coming to us for help. The food shelf is now a drive-up model and is working to get food to the families who need it. Our case managers are connecting with families by phone and email. We are so encouraged by the tremendous outpouring of support from our community. We expect that the hardest days are yet to come, especially as we look toward May and June rent. But there are silver linings all around us, and donors like Linda are one of them.
Linda adds, “I encourage others to think about what their stimulus money could mean to those who truly need help in these times that are challenging so many.”
We thank you for the inspiration, Linda. We could not be more grateful for the outpouring of support from the community, including donors like you.