December Update
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Dear IFC Friends, As we approach year end, here at IFC we’re reflecting upon a year of growth that was supported by a diverse and compassionate community. We are grateful for your generosity and determination to keep our services available throughout this pandemic. It’s hard to believe that only 12 months ago we were moving into our new building in Carrboro, followed by our virtual grand opening in January. And, although we cannot imagine IFC without them, it was only about three months ago that we welcomed our first full-time REAL Transformation Director, Chris Faison, and our first full-time Community Engagement Manager, Mar’lisa Wooten. Along the way, we celebrated our own Quinton Harper, Activate! IFC Manager, for winning a 2021 Pauli Murray Award, and honored shelter staff for their round-the-clock work at a local hotel that earned IFC the Chamber’s 2021 Community Impact Award. We celebrate the resolve that made all of this happen! In the past two months, we opened our doors for access to the Market and computers by appointment with COVID protocols, which is adding a pleasant buzz to the activities at IFC Commons in Carrboro. With regard to REAL Transformation work, we have held gatherings with two local faith congregations to listen to and learn from Black community leaders right here in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. More of those to come in 2022! What’s happening now… In more recent news, during the past two weeks we have had to contend with a COVID-19 outbreak at Community House shelter for men. Residents and staff have rallied, and those who test positive are being isolated in hotel rooms in Orange and Durham Counties. We continue to work closely with Piedmont Health Services and our Orange County partners: Partnership to End Homelessness, the Public Health Department, the Department of Social Services, and Emergency Management Services to respond appropriately and effectively. Among other measures, we are increasing testing, reassigning rooms and spaces to make people safer, and limiting interaction among staff who work at multiple sites. While the worst seems to be behind us, we won’t be in the clear until we have no positive tests for a period of 28 days - likely a few more weeks. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we take the time to reallocate our time and resources during this temporary critical period of concern. Continuing the tradition of community and giving… Through all of this, we are incredibly grateful for your steadfast support that allows IFC to continue the tradition of supporting our neighbors in so many important ways including: offering holiday meals, helping pay the cost of utility bills, developing leadership potential and supporting local activism, and providing shelter and connection to local resources. We hope you will continue the tradition of giving that strengthens our ability to serve local households right here in Orange County. Please consider making a gift in 2021 that is postmarked, wired, or received on or before Friday, December 31st. Gifts may be made in honor of or in memory of a loved one. If you are interested in an update about volunteer opportunities, on December 21 at 2pm Mar’lisa will host a Meet and Greet at IFC Commons. Please email her if you would like more information. December 24 and 31 are IFC holidays and, looking way ahead, save the date for CROP Hunger Walk on April 3rd. IFC receives 25% of the proceeds from the much-loved annual event. Thank you for sharing all of these happenings with us. We are in it together. We are in it for community. We are in it for change. From all of us at IFC, we wish you a warm and peaceful holiday season! |
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IFC confronts the causes and responds to the effects of poverty in our community. Community House - HomeStart - Housing Support Chapel Hill and Carrboro |
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