Coronavirus In Minnesota: Hallie Q. Brown Community Needs Donations To Keep Going
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A St. Paul nonprofit that's been serving the community for more than 90 years is now turning to the community to help keep it going.
Hallie Q. Brown Community Center helps those in need. Whether its child care or food, they've always been there to provide. But the COVID-19 outbreak is making that a lot more difficult.
COVID-19 has stretched thin the resources Hallie Q. Brown's food shelf uses to help feed people in the community. Right now, there are empty coolers and shelves, an increase in need has led to a decrease in what's offered.
"Just last month alone, in April, we had 380 new individuals come by our location. That turns out to be 127 brand new families," Angie Goettl, director of family services, said.
That's not including the clients already served here. Most of them like this particular food shelf because of its client choice policy.
"They get to mark, pick and choose what they want for their family, and then we shop for them, then we either deliver it to their houses or we do curbside pickup," Goettl said.
Stay-at-home orders have caused Hallie Q. Brown to take a huge hit financially. The nonprofit is partially self-funded.
"We generate about 50% of our income coming from the child care and other fee-for-service programs -- room rental, the space rentals here," executive director Jonathan Palmer said. "The challenge is with the stay-at-home order, which is so important but it also means we don't have people coming to the center."
No rentals means no money, but the center pushes on, providing child care for essential workers like gas station and fast food employees.
"Always helping and always making sure your neighbor has something. That's what the Rondo community was and it still is in a sense. You make sure that you take care of your neighbor," Dawn Selle, director of external affairs and development, said.
In order to continue taking care of their neighbors, this nonprofit needs the support of everyone who can help.
"Anybody who comes through our doors, anybody that contacts us and is needing food is needing support, we've got to go ahead and support that," Palmer said.
Hallie Q. Brown is in need of donations of milk, eggs, protein and can goods. If you'd like to help, click here.
