The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged our community, nation, and world in unprecedented ways. In the midst of school closures, business shut-downs, mass lay-offs, supply shortages, and thousands of sick individuals, we are faced with a common and uniting cause … the safety and health of our most vulnerable neighbors. Those most likely to be affected are people who are not able to self-isolate: the “essential” workers. Not the CEOs, the bankers, and those making six-plus figures. Instead, it’s the blue collar workers, service industry professionals, health care workers, sanitary workers, and assembly line warriors. These are the people who are so essential in a time of crisis that they must keep putting themselves at risk to offer safety and health to the masses. 

Among these workers are many of our immigrant friends and neighbors — many of whom are undocumented. Undocumented immigrants not only lack health insurance, but also fear that they will be reported to ICE or sent to detention centers if they seek medical care or government assistance. 

We see these essential workers and undocumented immigrants on a daily basis through our affordable medical clinic and immigrant resource programs. We hear their stories and have listened to their needs. Based on what we have heard, we have adapted our services to care for these vital needs. We will rely heavily on donations and volunteers in the coming months to continue offering these life-saving services and resources to vulnerable populations. So, we need your help! Please see our list of top 10 ways you can help immigrants and low-income families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For questions or to find out more, call us at 574-434-4744 or send us an email at info@chhclinics.org

1. Help us raise grocery money for out-of-work immigrants. We hope to provide grocery gift cards to immigrant families with at least one parent unable to work during the coronavirus pandemic. We would like to be able to provide grocery gift cards for everyone who calls in and so we need your help! If you are able, please donate to EC  Hope Immigrant Resource Fund. Your donation will go towards purchasing gift cards to grocery stores, as well as helping with other financial assistance requests that come in. Click here to make a donation. Make sure to select “EC Hope Immigrant Resource Fund”.
2. Sponsor medical care for someone with diabetes. Diabetes is a high-risk factor for COVID-19 and can increase the severity of symptoms. The Center for Healing & Hope’s Diabetes Alliance Program (DAP) has been highly successful in helping uninsured clients to control their diabetes and live healthier lives. The program costs $30 per month and includes regular check-ups with a medical professional, critical vaccines, educational resources and some medications. During the next four months, our clients will struggle to pay their membership fees. By becoming a sponsor, you will help ensure that our clients receive the care they desperately need and ease the burden of deferred payments that will become due when they are able to return to work. Sign up for a monthly recurring payment of $30 or give a lump sum of $120 to sponsor a client. All sponsorships will be anonymous and contributions will be a tax deductible contribution to the DAP Sponsorship Fund. To donate, click here.
3. Help us get the word out. If you are quarantined at home and/or out of work and are unable to make a charitable contribution or volunteer, please help us spread the word about our programs and resources by referring friends,  neighbors, and co-workers with a medical need and who have no regular doctor to consult. Share CHH’s information by phone, email, or social media. 
4. Donate supplies on our wish list. To make a donation, arrange a drop off or pick time by calling 574-534-4744 x206. Here’s our wish list:
   1. Hand sanitizer
   2. Paper towels
   3. Toilet paper
   4. Face masks (hand-made is fine!)
   5. Hand soap
   6. Jugs of distilled water
   7. White copy paper
   8. Gel pens
5. Purchase Eat-Shop-Give gift certificates. Each gift certificate is $20. Half of the proceeds go directly back to the local business, and half goes to support the Center for Healing & Hope programs. You can purchase your gift certificates through this secure online portal from now until Sunday, April 19.
6. Do you have a medical background? Volunteer in our clinic. Center for Healing & Hope’s medical clinic is offering daily telemedicine phone consults anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms. To anyone who does not have a primary care provider, we provide education and advice on managing symptoms, including advice about when care in an Emergency Department is warranted. To continue these services, we urgently need clinical volunteers. If you or someone you know has a medical background, speaks Spanish, and is interested in volunteering, call us at 574-534-4744 or sign up through our online volunteer portal.
7. Fluent in Spanish and English? Help interpret in our clinic. As we work to expand our telemedicine hours to every day of the week, our need for interpreters grows as not all of our volunteer medical professionals are fluent in both Spanish and English. If you can assist, please call 574-534-4744 or fill out the form through our online volunteer portal.
8. Assist with child care. The Center for Healing and Hope’s Elkhart County HOPE Network, a program that connects undocumented immigrants with valuable resources and education, will organize childcare to alleviate the burden of working families with children at home as well as providing resources to help prevent food scarcity. Through Safety Networks, we will match volunteers with immigrant families in need of childcare. If you have the time and are willing to provide childcare, please fill out this form.
9. Make a charitable donation. In order to continue offering these life-saving services to vulnerable populations, we rely on people who have a heart for the uninsured and our immigrant neighbors. Donations will go directly toward funding medical supplies for staff and our food aid program. Offering a financial gift will help sustain our telemedicine consults through the remainder of this crisis. The Center for Healing & Hope is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All contributions are tax-deductible and you will receive a tax receipt for each gift.
   1. Make an online donation through our secure giving page, using a credit card.
   2. Call in to donate with a credit card: 574-534-4744, ext. 206.
   3. Mail a donation: make your check payable to Center for Healing & Hope. Send it to P.O. Box 195, Goshen, IN 46527-0195.
10. Pray. Please keep our staff, volunteers, and patients in your prayers as we work together to help ease the burden of this pandemic for our community through our programs and resources.