It takes time for families and individuals to recover from devastating changes in their lives. To assist in this time of need, the Family Services Agency (FSA) of DeKalb County prepared and sent out care packages to families, youth, and senior citizens. Funding for the care packages was made possible through a $7,500 DeKalb County COVID-19 Response Grant.

FSA intends to serve 170 individuals through this grant. They prepared and mailed out 62 youth care packages, 93 senior care packages, and provided Aldi gift cards to 7 families. FSA is exploring options for additional funding that will allow them to support individuals and families.  The additional funding combined with the remaining dollars from the Covid-19 Response Grant will assist even more families and individuals in DeKalb County.

It will take time to recover from late/delayed rent and/or utility payments. Some will need to find new jobs due to layoffs during COVID-19 and no re-hiring occurring. During that time, there will still be a struggle to meet day-to-day needs. In addition, Illinois DCFS has reported a decrease in abuse hotline calls due to lack of children’s interaction with mandated reporters. It is projected that once interactions with mandated reporters start occurring again, there will be an increase in abuse reports which in turn will increase interviews in FSA’s Children’s Advocacy program. The Family Service Agency continues in their efforts to identify and address the needs of residents in DeKalb County.

Pictured Above: Care packages distributed by the Family Services Agency to youth, families, and seniors in DeKalb County.

Thank you to the many donors whose gifts make grants like these possible! And thank you to the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund for the multiple grants that boosted the amount we were able to give in response to local needs. 

Funding for this grant program is made possible by the DeKalb County COVID-19 Response Fund, a new component pass through Fund created in collaboration with various local funding partners. The Fund’s purpose is to be a depository for contributions intended to respond to the effects of COVID-19 in DeKalb County by distributing grants that address preparedness, response, recovery, and/or rebuilding efforts.