COVID-19 Partner Agency Update: It Takes A Village
The mission of It Takes a Village is to provide early parenting support as well as essential resources to families, primarily in the Hilltowns. United Way of Hampshire County support and funding allows It Takes a Village to grow and expand their free service--like home visits and diapers--things not covered by public support.
One of the most important services they offer is creating connections. “Just because we are practicing physical distancing doesn’t mean families need to be socially isolated,” says co-director Lisa Dana Goding.
Goding gives an example of a pregnant mother. Early on, the agency started delivering supplies, had a home visit volunteer who is in touch with her, and was coordinating special meals (she is gluten and dairy free) to be delivered postpartum. The mother also participated in parent group calls almost every day.
“This family, for me, shows that we have successfully managed to pivot in this critical time,” explains Goding. “Being a grass-roots organization, we have had the flexibility to mobilize in such a way that we can still effectively serve local families.”
Flexibility has been crucial. It Takes a Village saw a dramatic increase in need as families ran into COVID-19-related challenges due to missed work and lack of childcare. At the same time, the school site housing their Village Closet program, which offers basic needs, was shut down. Within a matter of days, they transformed the program into a delivery-only model that focused on their most high-risk families.
Here are specific It Takes a Village work during the COVID-19 crisis.
Village Closet Program
The first month of their new delivery-only Village Closet model resulted in over 80 deliveries to homebound and hospitalized clients. That number was double the total number of deliveries in 2019—a remarkable 2,400% increase. They are also:
· Providing a Family Resource Kit that contains safety supplies and information regarding our community partners and local service agencies.
· Closely tracking referrals with partners and agencies, like from WIC, to Community Action, Community Network for Children, behavioral health providers and more
· Serving families with premature infants who may be hospitalized in local NICUs. It Takes a Village is the only local agency who has a “car bed lending program,” providing a supply of specialized car seats used to transport the most fragile infants from local hospitals.
Home Visit Program
The goals of the Home Visit Program continue to be to provide families with practical assistance, emotional support, and connection. Volunteers and staff members are contacting every family every week, but not in person.
Errands & Deliveries
Volunteers are supporting higher risk families (those with immunocompromised family members) by running errands such as dropping off groceries.
Parent Support Groups
Since day one of this isolation period, It Takes a Village has been facilitating virtual parent group meetings for local families. Families can join in to find connection and emotional support that is safe, confidential, and free. The zoom calls are kid and pet friendly. Parents can choose to join by video, or just by audio. These connections have been a life saver for some.
Says one parent, “The company has been amazing! It’s so nice to see people’s faces!”