Camden Rotary helps Homeless Coalition secure food supplies
Fri, 12/18/2020 - 4:30pm
CAMDEN — The Camden Rotary Club’s COVID emergency task force has awarded $5,000 to Knox County Homeless Coalition to help the organization safeguard food supplies for a growing number of homeless or recently housed clients.
The grant, along with funding from the Ramlose Foundation, will finance the purchase and installation of a generator that will keep KCHC’s refrigerators and freezers functioning during power outages. The generator will also provide reliable power for the homeless shelter’s offices and living space.
“With the onset of COVID, we saw an immediate spike in requests for food; especially during the first few weeks when grocery shelves were bare, layoffs were occurring, and people were being asked to shelter in place,” said KCHC Executive Director Stephanie Primm, in a Rotary news release. “Our team ramped up our food delivery systems, and this spring, we distributed food at triple, quadruple, and even higher rates compared to the previous year. We also experienced several power outages, which posed serious difficulties for our clients and us. Without electricity, we can’t ensure the safety of our food supply, use our computers, or work in an unheated office.”