Upstate Familyt Resource Center

Executive Director – Kelley Ezell

It was so exciting to kick off our Packs for Kids school supply distribution during the month of August.  Of course it looked totally different this year, but to be honest, I don’t know that we will ever go back to business as usual! 

We transitioned our school supply registration to an online platform and families loved it!  They even scheduled their own appointments. Data from our client satisfaction survey indicates we received 4.8 out of 5 stars! Hats off to CAROLYN WILSON and her team of staff and volunteers for organizing and executing this program.  Also, a HUGE shout out goes to all of those who donated supplies and financial resources to make this all happen.  We can’t do it without our community!

I’ve had several people ask me recently about the families that are coming for assistance during this new dimension of life.  As I studied our data from March to July 2020 this is what I discovered:

We have provided almost $35,000 in financial support, an additional $19,000 was provided by partner agencies when we did not have the capacity to help

There are several reason why families may need support during this time. 

• Decrease in work hours
• Job loss
• Lack of childcare due to schools and childcare facilities being closed as well as decreased capacity for summer camps
• Increase in food consumption due to increased time that children and teens are at home
• Decrease in food and household necessities supplies at grocery stores
• Increase in cost of food and household supplies
• Increase in mental health challenges

Because of your support, we have been able to continuously serve our community. Of course, there is still more to do. We need you financial support now more than ever! Please consider becoming a monthly partner to help us sustain our work. We are all in this together and together will will get through all of this! Click the link below to become a part of helping families thrive!