In addition to these Community Zooms, Cherie continues to meet with people for individual counseling--using a tele-medicine model. Once they try it, clients appreciate the convenience and safety of these video appointments. If you could benefit from competent and caring mental health support, confidentially email Cherie to learn more. Medicaid coverage is welcome, and nobody is turned away for inability to pay.

​#2 Good News
Our Basic Needs & Resource Matching program has received an unprecedented number of requests for help with rent and utilities since the onset of COVID-19. Thanks to the incredible generosity of so many, LEAF's leadership has identified a way to help: LEAF will increase our Basic Needs budget by 13,333% for the next three months. You read that right! For the next three months, we will be able to offer a total of $40,000 in Basic Needs 2020 grants. 

​We'll continue to utilize best practices in the ways we implement this project. We'll make referrals. We will partner with our participants, encouraging and expecting and equipping them to apply for all available sources of support. We'll advocate for them and even help them complete applications. And when all other options have been explored and exhausted, we will make grants that will keep people in their homes. 
​
Good News #3
Lyons Community Food Pantry is open every Wednesday afternoon from 3:00pm to 5:00pm outside Lyons Community Church. We now have a "curbside pick-up" model, and our volunteers are making great efforts to provide needed supplemental food in ways that minimize risk to our team and to our clients. Each week, we provide a pre-packaged box of food (the amount of food depends on household size), plus milk, eggs, fresh produce, and choice of meat and bread to everyone who attends.

​We are still welcoming about twice as many people at the Food Pantry as "B.C." (before Covid). If you or someone you know lives in the Greater Lyons area and will benefit from extra food + a "socially-distanced virtual hug," please come to the Food Pantry on Wednesday. Beware: You won't find any shame or embarrassment, just lots of love and caring!

More Good News
Meals on Wheels clients continue to receive meals each week. Our volunteers continue to take extra care to minimize risks to the people we serve. Concerned our clients might not have enough nutrition, the Meals on Wheels team recently started delivering free supplemental boxes of food to clients, too. These boxes contain healthy snacks, milk, bread, eggs, and produce. Aren't you proud to live in this community, where people truly care for people? 

Meals on Wheels is not only for aging adults. If you or someone you know is unable to shop for or prepare at least one healthy meal per day, please consider Meals on Wheels. The cost of the meals is based on a very generous sliding scale. Email our program leader, Eric Andresen, or call him at 720-385-9878.
​

​Good News #5
You may have heard that Lyons Volunteers and LEAF recently joined forces! We are thrilled and proud to welcome Lyons Volunteers and their wonderful work to LEAF's family of human services programs. 

​Lyons Volunteers will continue to undertake many important projects for our community and for members of our community, too. Stay tuned as we integrate the two organizations. In the meantime, if you need some volunteer help, you can complete a Work Request and the team will get in touch.

Good News #6 to #600...and beyond!

• Care Calls are a daily phone call to offer social interaction and a well-being check for the most at-risk members of our community. If you or someone you know in the Greater Lyons area would benefit from a daily friendly and caring phone call, please email Ellen.

• At a time when many organizations can't find enough volunteers, I'm happy to report LEAF's volunteer roster is healthy and strong! In these times of limited interactions and social distancing, it's been a challenge to find enough opportunities for everyone. This situation will change and improve, and we look forward to putting all of our volunteers to work! If you haven't yet signed up to volunteer with LEAF, please email volunteer@leaflyons.org. We will contact you as opportunities unfold.

• Speaking of volunteers, how can we thank you enough? Did you know LEAF has just one part-time staff member and over 100 volunteers? Our volunteers have been brave and eager to serve during this community health crisis. To all our volunteers: On behalf of everyone you are serving, and for all the life-changing work you are undertaking, THANK YOU. Thank you! 

• Our donors have been faithful and generous during this most difficult time, too. Many first-time giving partners have reached out. Longer-term donors have been so loyal, too. LEAF Believer Corporate Sponsor Laura Levy has launched not one, but TWO, successful Facebook campaigns! On behalf of the growing number of people you are feeding, calling, keeping in their homes, encouraging, counseling, and caring for, LEAF's Board of Directors and I offer our most humble thanks.

• Guess what? Even more good new is in the works, too. Please follow LEAF on Facebook or visit our website for updates! 

Yes, our world is still changing, changed, sad, uncertain, different, hard. But we're surrounded by so much good. Thank you for spending a few minutes today to consider all the good things. Our partnership with you is one of the very best things, and we are so very grateful.

Lory Barton
​LEAF Executive Director