Ignite Partners and Friends Provide Critical Support to Youth During the Pandemic and Social Unrest

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an incredibly challenging time for Ignite. We are deeply committed to the safety and health of our staff, youth, volunteers, and community so when the pandemic hit, we immediately developed a comprehensive COVID-19 response plan. Implementing this plan, however, has meant increased spending and new costs for additional personnel, food, cleaning supplies, and protective gear. We’re also providing rent relief to our CaSSA and Next Gen clients who lost their jobs or experienced a reduction in work hours because of the steep economic downturn resulting from the pandemic.  Accessing food became a challenge for these very same clients when grocery stores and other retail in various South Side communities shut down in the wake of social unrest several weeks ago.

Fortunately, over the past three months our partners and friends have stepped up in some unique and amazing ways to support us so we can continue to serve our youth safely and successfully while adapting to the current circumstances. For example, Allstate has generously provided a $15,000 grant for COVID-19 related expenses and Fairmont Chicago has donated bottled water and soda, as well as frozen and packaged food. The University of Chicago’s Office of Civic Engagement and UChicago’s catering partner, Bon Appetit, have delivered hundreds of prepared meals to us and recently extended this generous program through the end of July with the help of local restaurants. The Rainbow PUSH Coalition and The Honeycomb Project have also lent their support through generous meal delivery programs and Marianos’ Bronzeville store donated boxes of groceries on a weekly basis through the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Food Rescue Program. Koval Distillery helped us combat germs with 35 gallons of their hand sanitizer! And, most recently, Elevate Energy helped to keep our staff and youth hydrated by donating a pallet of water bottles to the Community Hub and Belfort House.

In addition, our individual friends and supporters, including members of our Executive and Associate Boards, have been amazingly generous and have donated groceries and cleaning supplies to help our young people with limited access to grocery stores or other shopping.

We are so grateful for these thoughtful donations and for everything our friends and partners do to support our mission to stand with our youth on their journey to a home and a future with promise!