Sunday, May 24th marked the religious holiday Eid, the end of the holy month of Ramadan, for our Muslim Canopy families. This year, Ramadan looked much different than in years past. With social distancing requirements in place and no mass gatherings permitted, our families spent this Eid at home with immediate family members. We at Canopy spent the day driving around Claremont and the surrounding areas, dropping off Eid gifts for our families! (They were socially distant drop-offs, of course.)
Along with most of the world, the Canopy community continues to feel the devastating economic effects of Covid19. Our families have lost employment, which has caused extreme financial instability. We have done more than 30 calls over Zoom to virtually help them file for unemployment.
Because of your generosity during these unprecedented times, Canopy has also been able to start a Covid19 emergency relief fund. This is cash aid given to us by supporters and faith-based organizations, specifically with the purpose of helping Canopy families get through this trying time. I want to personally thank each and every one of you for these generous donations we could NOT support our families like we do without you.
With this fund, we were able to deliver a cash gift of $200 to each of our families. In addition to the cash aid, we dispersed more than $3,300 in rent supplements during the months of April and May. Each supplement of $300 was paid directly to the family’s landlord. This helped families free up cash for other bills and life necessities. We've also been able to use a portion of the funds to distribute diapers to our families with little ones.
Right now, no gift is too small. The road to economic recovery will be a marathon, not a sprint. We have never felt more connected as a community and as long as we continue to stand with one another, we can overcome anything.
I'll leave you with messages we have received from Canopy family members over the past month. Our community truly appreciates your generosity, and we thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
"Thank you Canopy. Your kindness is so special, being beside you gives us strength." Mursal (from Afghanistan)
"Thank you for standing by our side, as always. It means a lot to me that you remember us during this hard time. We love you so much." Farah (from Syria)
"Hi guys, I don't know how to thank you. Today we received the check for help with rent. Thank you a lot to you and Anne and everyone at Canopy. I appreciate all your good deeds and efforts, may God protect us all and our families. We will always keep you in our prayers for happiness and good health. We miss you." Hadia (from Syria)
With sincere gratitude,
Christy
Founder and Executive Director, Claremont Canopy
