Episcopal Charities
Weekly Resource Round-Up: March 14, 2023
This Week's Resources
NYS COVID and MonkeyPox Updates (Plus Info about the Flu, RSV, and Norovirus)
New Yorkers in Need: Food Insecurity and Nutritional Assistance Programs
How to Donate and Help Migrants Seeking Asylum in NYC (Documented)
As 3-K expansion pauses, NYC hires consultant to study where to move seats (ChalkBeat)
Kitchen Manager/Chef Needed at St. Michael's Saturday Kitchen Program
If you have resources to share with our network, please contact Tobi Mojeed-Balogun our Associate Director of Programs Support.
2023 Youth Opportunity Grant Application!
We are thrilled to announce that we will be opening the application for our Youth Opportunity Grant on March 17th at 9 am. To learn about EC's grants (including BHN), see here. Please contact me (Tobi) for more information and if you have any other questions or concerns.
NYS COVID and MonkeyPox Updates (Plus Info about the Flu, RSV, and Norovirus)
A lot of the news around mandates, vaccines and restrictions have been a little confusing so I will list some resources below that might help.
NYS Department of Health COVID website - It's a one stop shop with an info summary at the top. Link here.
Walgreens COVID Index - there's concerns about the accuracy of some COVID trackers but Wallgreens released one based on their tests. Link here.
NYC Department of Health Monkeypox Webpage - lots of information and resources about the virus with pictures of the rash included. Find the link here.
COVID vs Flu vs RSV info - I found a good article from the Washington post that gives information about three viruses that have been spiking this winter. Read the article here.
The Time Magazine article on the new variant (XBB.1.5) - Link Here
Gothamist article on norovirus, a stomach bug that is hitting the Northeast - Read more here.
Budgeting for Unknowns
The Better Business Bureau is hosting a webinar about creating budgets for non-profits
"Tips and Tools for Budgeting Challenges
In the shifting economic landscape, it can be challenging to create and manage an accurate budget for the year. Certain budgeting tools and trend analysis can help you navigate these challenges successfully.
During this session, we will discuss: · Economic forces creating variability in nonprofit budgets · Budgeting tools to use in times of inflation and economic uncertainty · Trend analyses that can help you with budgeting · Budgeting for sustainability and forecasting into the future
Join us and bring your questions!"
New Yorkers in Need: Food Insecurity and Nutritional Assistance Programs
Thank you to Susan Fowler and our Friends at Staten Island Hunger Task Force and Christ Church, New Brighton for sharing this report on food insecurity from the State Comptroller.
"Millions of New Yorkers face daily challenges as a result of living at or near the federal poverty level, resulting in painful choices related to basic needs such as shelter, health care, food and transportation. Often, the result is hunger or food insecurity, which is uncertainty or inability to get enough food because of a lack of resources. The consequences can be devastating, from increased incidence of chronic disease and other health effects to reduced academic performance to an inability to succeed at the workplace.
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This report is the second in the “New Yorkers in Need” series. It details recent trends in food insecurity, explains policy interventions by the federal and State governments, and demonstrates a clear need for a continuing commitment to reduce the incidence of food insecurity. While income is a critical factor in determining food insecurity, there are many other challenges that can present barriers to accessing healthy food. Federal and State leaders must make efforts to address these challenges to continue to make progress in reducing food insecurity and improve the lives and productivity of millions of New Yorkers.
Thomas P. DiNapoli State Comptroller"
How to Donate and Help Migrants Seeking Asylum in NYC (Documented)
Documented has talked to some of the groups on the front-line of help migrants seeking asylum in the city and has complied some stories and a list of organizations. Learn more here.
As 3-K expansion pauses, NYC hires consultant to study where to move seats (ChalkBeat)
"As Mayor Eric Adams has backpedaled a plan to expand free preschool for New York City’s 3-year-olds, officials have hired a consulting firm to figure out how many seats should exist in each of the city’s neighborhoods next year.
The city will pay consulting firm Accenture just over $760,000 to “map out needs and seats” because of thousands of vacancies in the program, Jacques Jiha, the city’s budget director, said during Monday’s City Council hearing on the mayor’s preliminary budget.
While Jiha said the city has about 19,000 empty seats this year, education department officials have pinned the number in recent months closer to 16,000. (Spokespeople for City Hall and the education department did not immediately clarify which number is correct.)"
Campaign For Healthy Minds, Healthy Kids: Take Action and Let Elected Leaders Know to Prioritize Children’s Behavioral Health!
Here is an advocacy opportunity that you might be interested in:
"The challenges facing New York’s youth and families are driven by decades of chronic disinvestment in the children’s behavioral health system. This year, Governor Hochul has proposed $1 billion in the State Budget to open behavioral health beds across the state. As significant as this funding is, it will only change the lives of children and families if our state invests adequate funding directly in services for children and families, including by addressing the shortage of behavioral health providers and the crisis of waitlists. If we invest in the policies and programs children and families need now, we can change the trajectory of children’s lives.
Please take a few moments to send the letter [in the link] to your state leaders urging them to take actions to ensure all children in New York can access the behavioral health supports they need."
Kitchen Manager/Chef Needed at St. Michael's Saturday Kitchen Program
Our friends at St. Michael's Church in the Upper West Side are looking for a new Kitchen Manager for their Saturday Kitchen food access program. If you want more information, know any good candidates, or have any suggestions please contact the Rev. Kate Flexer, Rector, at kflexer@saintmichaelschurch.org. The job description can be found here.
Hudson Link Employer Toolkit
Our friends at Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison put together an employer toolkit for hiring formerly incarcerated people. Thank you to Sean Pica, Eldredge Blalock, Elisabeth Santiago, and the rest of the team at Hudson Link for this important resource. The toolkit can be found here. If you have any questions about hiring formerly incarcerated people, please contact Elisabeth Santiago from Hudson Link's Alumni Services at esantiago@hudsonlink.org.
Community Food Funders Newslink
Community Food Funders has opened up their newsletter to a wider audience (so not just food funders). "Each month, CFF compiles a newsletter with news, articles, reports, and events for those in our region interested in an equitable and sustainable food system." Highlights on this month's newsletter include:
Call for Applications: GROWING JUSTICE - Awards of $50,000 to $250,000 are available to support community-led efforts to advance the vision and values of GROWING JUSTICE. GROWING JUSTICE aims to invest in efforts to solidify the leadership, dignity and power of Tribal, Indigenous, Black, Latinx, Asian and immigrant people to identify and drive solutions that expand the market for good food from locally or regionally owned, and environmentally and economically sustainable farms, ranches, fisheries and food businesses. Take the Eligibility Quiz to receive an invitation to apply. Deadline March 16, 2023.
Dyson Foundation Mini-Grant Program - The Dyson Foundation’s mini-grant program funds capacity-building projects that improve a nonprofit’s administrative, governance, or programmatic functions. Mini-grants enable nonprofit board, staff, and volunteer leaders to develop new skills through specific consultant-led capacity-building activities, or through conferences, seminars, and other relevant training opportunities. Mini-grants are available to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and libraries in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Grants are available on a rolling basis.
I will continue to include highlights from each month's newsletter on our weekly resource round-ups but if you would like to subscribe yourself, the link is here. The link to last month's newsletter is here and their archive is here.
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That's all for this week -- thanks for all you do!