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HE A LT H Y STA RT COA LITION OF SOU T H W EST FLOR IDA
HERE TO HELP Healthy Start assists pregnant women and families with children 3 and younger to meet basic needs like diapers.
H
ave you ever been terrified that you would not be able to provide basics like food and diapers to your baby? Well, for many Southwest Florida families that fear has become their reality. Families who were once financially stable are now experiencing extreme hardship due to job losses caused by COVID-19. Suddenly, everything changed — parents are home without income; children are home without school or day care; businesses have
closed or changed their operations to meet social distancing requirements; government assistance systems are overwhelmed, and many families have received no stimulus or unemployment payments. Nonprofit agencies went on full alert; how do we serve our community while following social distancing measures and the requirements of our donors and funders? Food banks quickly mobilized and found new, no-contact methods for distributing food to families; school buses delivered breakfasts and lunches to
ASK THE EXPERT We welcome questions from readers. Ask us anything. We’ll find the answer. Send your question to editor@swflparentchild.com with “Ask the Expert” in the subject line.
18 » JUNE 2020 » SWFLPARENTCHILD.COM
