Abby Hamilton, president and CEO of United Way of Roanoke Valley, answers a question about how Roanoke s human services nonprofits handled the COVID-19 pandemic over the last 13 months.
The worried man on the phone asked Anne Marie Green whether he could safely make himself a ham sandwich.
The call had come in on the 211 line during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under a contract with the Virginia Department of Social Services, the Council of Community Services in Roanoke runs Virginia 211, a helpline that refers callers to health and human service agencies that can meet their needs. Administrative staff, including Green, the councilâs president, were personally fielding calls about COVID.
RAM House announces eventual move roanoke.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from roanoke.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Betsy Biesenbach
Special to The Roanoke Times
On paper, Cheerilyn Chapmanâs financial situation looks pretty good. The income she earns from working 60 hours a week as a restaurant delivery driver is enough for her to qualify for a loan on a modest home. Unfortunately, most of the houses in her price range â the decent ones, anyway â donât meet her needs.
Chapman, 50, is the mother of seven children, ranging in age from 9 to 20. And while the 20-year-old is âlearning to fledge,â and pays rent, she said, heâs not ready to be on his own just yet. So for now, they all live together in a rented home with plenty of rooms â as long as you count the large closet that has been turned into a bedroom as one of them.
Good Neighbors Fund: Giving is outpacing every previous year of fund drive roanoke.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from roanoke.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.