APOPKA, Fla. - Another two million Americans have filed for unemployment, which raised the total to 40 million since the start of the pandemic.
What You Need To Know
- Hope CommUnity Center serves large Hispanic community
- It received Paid Protection Program loan to help its employees
- Those funds, however, have expired
The increase of people in need led to a rise in people searching for help at their local nonprofits. It has put a strain on the nonprofits.
Sr. Ann Kendrick, founder of Hope CommUnity Center, an Apopka nonprofit, said even though the nonprofit’s two buildings are closed, her employees continue to help the community at home.
The nonprofit serves a large Hispanic community, some of them immigrants who don’t receive aid from the CARES Act. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the Hispanic unemployment rate is at 18.9, which is higher than the national average now at 14.7.
Sr. Kendrick said the need for help has financially affected the nonprofit.
“We hope that we’re going to survive but we’re only going to survive if we get financial support from our local community,” Kendrick said.
The nonprofit received a Paid Protection Program loan to help pay its 20 employees for two months, and those months recently ended.
“Our own reserves are being hit,” Sr. Kendrick said.
The nonprofit plans to reopen its two Apopka buildings to the public in June, but Sr. Kendrick said donations are needed to purchase PPE kits to make sure they do it safely.
On March 26, 2020, the Florida Nonprofit Alliance sent a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis demanding more funding to continue to serve the community.
You can learn more about Hope CommUnity Center on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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