AmeriCorps response during COVID-19: National service at CCUSA

August 3, 2020

During this unpreceded time in our country, our federal partner AmeriCorps made the decision to allow national service members to break from their traditional service duties and support Covid-19 response efforts in their communities.

Through CCUSA’s five AmeriCorps programs, 28 AmeriCorps members provided almost 5,000 hours of Covid-19 response efforts, serving over 25,000 individuals since March.

Their services corresponded to the needs of their local agencies and communities, with AmeriCorps members performing 992 wellness and safety checks, serving 4,639 meals, and collecting and distributing 149,372 pounds of food.

Members also sorted 110 tons of donations, which included food and sanitary items as well as critically needed personal protective equipment, and they recruited 673 volunteers to assist in providing key services.

Outside of these direct service activities, AmeriCorps members also served from a distance, creating and dispersing information on Covid-19 and emergency assistance resources to clients in multiple languages through social media, flyers, and community postings.

In addition, AmeriCorps members assisted with the creation of re-opening procedures and helped to screen individuals for benefit eligibility. Through these various interventions, AmeriCorps members helped meet the immediate needs in their community while also planning for the future.