How Sundara is continuing to respond to the coronavirus crisis impacting our neighbors in New York City.
New York City, where Sundara's staff and board are based, has arguably been the most hard hit city in the entire COVID-19 pandemic. Many of us know that lower income communities and communities of color are disproportionately suffering, and East Harlem in particular has been reporting the highest number of cases in Manhattan, with 1,698 cases as of May 18 and 182 virus-related deaths. East Harlem also has one of the highest rates of child and adult asthma in the country, making the community even more vulnerable as this crisis unfolds.
One of our board members, Elizabeth Romano, brought this community to our attention in March. Liz has been a teacher at East Harlem Scholars Academy (EHTP) since 2015. We connected with EHTP’s Emergency Assistance Fund that has been established to meet unexpected critical needs that East Harlem families have developed as a result of the current public health crisis. The Harlem Family Assistance Fund is providing small grants to support families with their basic needs, such as food and essential household items.
We understand that families in quarantine often need hygiene related items like soap, shampoo, detergent, toilet paper, diapers, feminine products, and cleaning supplies. Sundara is contributing to the Emergency Assistance Fund with hygiene and health related requests of up to $100.00 per family. In order to be eligible to receive support from the fund, the financial need must be a result of the current COVID-19 crisis, which includes the economic downturn that has followed. Our intention is to support as much as we are able to, with pressing health and hygiene issues that have now arisen for so many of these families in East Harlem.
To date we have approved 10 grants to help cover unexpected needs related to COVID-19, and we will continue to approve more in the coming weeks as more requests are submitted.
If would like to donate, please do so here and add in the comment section that you’d like your donation to be sent to our New York family assistance fund.
