With many families struggling to afford food as the financial impact of COVID-19 increases, many nonprofits are seeing an increased demand in the services they provide. One such organization, the Upper Room Dining Hall, has seen their meals served per day more than double, from an average of 150 meals per day to over 300 meals per day. In April they served a staggering and record breaking 8,153 meals. This massive increase in meals served for April was made possible by a Women’s Fund El Dorado grant that allowed the Upper Room to meet the huge surge in demand.
As the Upper Room Dining Hall moves into May, and another likely record breaking month, they are seeing generosity come from a different direction. This support comes in the form of local restaurants and catering companies, sponsored by local organizations and families, providing the clients of the Upper Room with meals 5 nights a week. This unexpected but incredible partnership with the community is allowing the Upper Room to continue serving meals the other 2 nights of the week as well as provide lunch bags to clients all week long. While this partnership will likely only last until restaurants begin to open back up, the good news from the Upper Room doesn’t stop there…
The Upper Room has just wrapped up a very successful Facebook campaign where they brought in over $100,000 in donations from mostly first time donors! They began this campaign hoping to cover the loss of canceled fundraisers and never dreamed they would get the kind of response that they did. As we move into summer, the Upper Room will be looking into what it will take to open their doors back up to begin serving meals in their dining room while following guidelines to keep staff, volunteers, and clients safe.
The Upper Room Dining Hall would like to thank the Women’s Fund El Dorado and all of the generous members of this wonderful community for their support through these difficult times. It is because of you that the Upper Room is able to serve the vulnerable populations within our beloved community.
