Michael D. Smith
msmith@ardmoreite.com
In a year of uncertainty for everyone, nonprofit organizations also felt the pinch of a pandemic. Numerous philanthropic groups across southern Oklahoma continued to help fill needs, but even these groups had to exercise caution as needs sometimes outpaced available resources.
For Mary Kate Wilson, who oversees three such groups in Carter County, one of the biggest challenges came early in the pandemic.
“When we shutdown and there was uncertainty regarding whether nonprofits would get PPP loans or if they had access to protective gear, the foundations could have come together and very quickly responded,” she said, referring to the Paycheck Protection Program, a federal effort to provide capital to businesses struggling under the weight of the pandemic.