How can we help?
Like many organizations, the Mahomet Ministerial Alliance approached this question in as the COVID-19 began to take shape across the Mahomet community in late spring.
But, like all good things, the pastors knew that they needed help themselves in getting support for those in need.
Cornbelt Fire Chief John Koller came to the group with an anonymous donation that helped pay for an unexpected need: covering rent or utilities as a family tried to make ends meet.
The Ministerial Alliance has “a fund that takes care of people who are coming through, but we really didn’t have anything set up like that,” Vineyard Pastor Leah Wegner said. “So I propose that we move in that direction and create something.”
The group took to building a website, mahometcommunityemergencyfund.com, and formed relationships with the Mahomet-Seymour School District, the Mahomet Chamber of Commerce, the Cornbelt Fire Department to form a board of volunteers to oversee the money and to help fill needs.
“I’m so grateful for people’s time,” Wegner said. “We’ve got an amazing administrator who’s keeping us all on task. She takes all the applications in through the website and then brings them to us as a board anonymously and we get to vote, whether or not we have the funds or I think this is appropriate.”
The site also takes tax-free donations, either on an ongoing basis or as a one time gift.
Jill Kyle, a Social Worker at Mahomet-Seymour Junior High, is a board member for the Relief Fund, but through her link with the school, she can help families find needed resources within the community.
So far, the group has dispersed $5,345 to 12 families or individuals.
“We’ve seen so many more middle class families come through who just can’t make ends meet right now,” Wegner said. Maybe they lost hours or lost a job altogether. I think the after effects are going to be increased all the more in the next 6 to 12 months specifically.
“We do have some limitations on how much and how often we can help people, just to keep it within reason,” Kyle said. “To make sure that we can help the most people that we’re able to.”
The Community Relief Fund hopes that donors will come forward to help make the program sustainable as the need grows.
“We definitely need donations,” she continued. “We need people who are willing to give to a really great thing; something that has checks and balances like something that is supported by so many different arms of the community and members of the community.
“We just promised to steward it really well.”
All of the money stays within and fills needs within the Mahomet-Seymour community.
For more information email mahometemergencyfund@gmail.com.
