2020 was a different, difficult year.
Grocery Distribution: With the exception of being closed in March, Fayette County families have been able to receive groceries on an emergency basis three mornings a week on a drive-in basis. Families must wait two weeks between visits. Numbers vary but an average of 13 to 14 families per day receive groceries. Some days we provide groceries for as many as 19 families in a single morning. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Fayette Samaritans has provided groceries to 574 Fayette County families over fourteen hundred times averaging 2.5 times per family.
Financial Assistance: Due to the face to face contact needed to interview for financial assistance, Fayette Samaritans began to offer the service again in July three mornings per week. We are assisting between four and five client families per day to prevent eviction, disconnection of utilities, or assistance with medical or dental emergencies. In 2019 the average family assistance was $217. In 2020 the average assistance was $326.
38% of the families served in 2020 have never received assistance prior to this year. Families with children and seniors continue to make up a large portion of our client families. School counselors are referring families to Fayette Samaritans.
Projected Budget for 2021: $353,000