By Truth Staff May 5, 2020
ELKHART — The nonprofit group enFocus has launched a website to provide Elkhart County residents with up-to-date COVID-19 resources.
As a number of organizations, local governments and businesses are responding to the spread of the coronavirus, a team of Fellows at enFocus recognized a need for a comprehensive tool to share information, according to an announcement Tuesday. The nonprofit is aimed at driving innovation by attracting talent to the area.
The website at www.elkhartcountycovid19.com is designed to connect people to the assistance they may need as well as support residents who are adjusting to a new way of life, according to the group’s announcement. It provides access to a range of resources, from testing sites and financial assistance, to remote learning and virtual activities for families.
It includes lists and locations of food pantries as well as restaurants that offer delivery and carryout and details on grocery stores that offer pick-up or delivery service. It also has information on small business grants or loans, lists of upcoming online educational sessions and updates on event cancellations and closures.
There’s also an interactive map of these resources, showing their locations and listing all their information.
“A number of community organizations including the Community Foundation of Elkhart County, the Elkhart County Convention and Visitor Bureau, and the Community Resilience Guild supported our efforts and helped us bring these resources together,” said Mike Altenburger, the enFocus Fellow who lead the effort. “We hope the site will grow to be a community resource for sharing COVID- related information and connecting residents to the information they need.”
The group hopes that Elkhart County organizations that work with individuals or families in need will link them to the site and help promote it. enFocus also welcomes submissions through the SHARE tab on the site for organizations that have time-sensitive COVID-19 updates or additional resources to include.
Andrew Wiand, enFocus executive director, said he’s pleased with the proactive efforts of the Fellow team.
“The development of this website represents one of many activities enFocus has initiated to make our region stronger in the wake of coronavirus,” he said in the announcement. “We are a community-focused organization, and we believe by working by together we will all emerge from this stronger.”
Link to The Elkhart Truth article.