SPAOA - Single Parents Alliance of America

Go Here To Get Food And Financial Assistance During The Coronavirus Pandemic

Whether you need help finding food or paying your bills during the COVID-19 outbreak, this list can point you in the right direction.

Feeding America

With over 200 food banks in all 50 of the United States, Feeding America has helped serve over 4.3 billion meals per year to the less fortunate. They’re continuing this service during the COVID-19 pandemic by offering emergency food boxes and more.

To protect the people it serves, Feeding America is offering new ways to get food assistance via emergency food boxes and drive-throughs that take social distancing into account.

To find the Feeding America food bank nearest you, visit their website now.

Your Utility Companies

Food and shelter are essential, but so are your utilities. And if you’ve lost your job or have seen a reduction in income, you may be wondering how to keep the lights on and your water running.

Some utility companies have vowed to avoid shutoffs during the coronavirus outbreak. If yours aren’t and are expecting on-time payments despite COVID-19, you’ll need to contact them as soon as possible to negotiate an arrangement.

Explain your hardship in detail. Describe any changes to your employment or income that currently make it impossible to pay your bill.

You may be able to negotiate postponed payments, which can keep your household functioning normally while you figure out ways to fix your finances.

Your Children’s Schools

Many parents got hit with an unexpected and unwelcome surprise when they found out their school districts were shutting down due to prevent the spread of COVID-19. While this announcement created a scramble for childcare, it also created a meal gap for children from low-income families.

Despite school shutdowns, many districts are still offering free meals for qualifying children. Contact your district to see if they provide this service, as it could provide a massive help while your budget’s currently constrained. Doing so could help you solve the issue of providing breakfast and lunch for your kids.

Modest Needs

Hourly workers are some of the hardest hit by the coronavirus’s adverse economic impact. Modest Needs is doing its best to combat this problem by starting a fund for hourly employees hardest hit by COVID-19 cutbacks.

Beyond that specific fund, Modest Needs has also helped low-income families pay their utilities, medical bills, and rent. To see if you qualify for any assistance, click here to visit their website, where they offer instructions on how to apply for a grant.

211 and The United Way

The United Way has used its 211 network to help millions of people get financial help annually. All you have to do is go to their website or call 211 to get connected with experts who can tell you where to find local help with paying your bills.

Depending on what’s available in your area, you may be able to find quick assistance with paying housing bills or finding food.

To see how 211 has responded to the coronavirus pandemic, visit this page, where they offer information on health insurance, unemployment benefits, the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and even reduced-cost Internet access.

The latter can help greatly since many kids are expected to continue their education at home until schools open once again.