Nonprofits feeling the pinch from COVID-19 fallout

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Local charitable organizations have been refining and expanding their focus to meet the communities’ needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased needs in the community coupled with fewer people bringing home a paycheck and social distancing guidelines mean charitable organizations are spending more cash than they are getting in donations, and they are unable to hold the large fundraisers that help sustain them.

Locally, the United Way has launched a COVID-19 Crisis Fund to help local organizations provide assistance to people who may not be able to pay for basic needs like housing and food.

Meanwhile, local animal shelters like the barren River Animal Welfare Association are working to help pet owners who may not be able to afford pet food.

The Alzheimer’s Association’s Kelly Sturgeon says COVID-19 affected her organization’s ability to raise money since the recruitment of teams for this year’s Alzheimer’s Walk came to a halt.

And it’s not just the Alzheimer’s Association feeling the pinch. The United Way of Southern Kentucky relies on donations from companies whose employees contribute by having money held out of each check. And without those employees getting paid, donations could dry up.

But some face-to-face events have moved online. Sturgeon says the annual event The Longest Day, an event held over cook-outs and barbecues, will likely be replaced with online fundraising.

And those who use local organizations’ services understand the importance of having them. Take Barbara Staats, a volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association who has cared for someone with Alzheimer’s Disease. She says the Alzheimer’s Association was “a lifesaver” with all the support the organization offered her…one example of the importance of the safety nets created by our local nonprofit organizations.