March 26, 2020

Op/Ed: KACS helping, needs help

The Board of KACS (Kennett Area Community Service) would like to thank our community for the outpouring of generosity during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Your donations are enabling KACS to continue to help individuals and families who live within the Kennett Square, Avon Grove, and Unionville Chadds Ford School Districts with food, shelter, and a path forward.

We have also heard from so many of you asking how you can help, and we need your help now more than ever. KACS is here, and we need monetary donations to continue to serve our community.

Currently, we are open for food distribution. We are also providing emergency assistance by appointment. With the economy seemingly shutting down overnight, the financial reality for many of our most vulnerable community members has shifted drastically. Last week we saw an almost 60% increase in the number of people we normally serve in a week in our food cupboard. This increase will certainly continue as more businesses shutter and as more people are laid off from their jobs.

Normally, KACS relies on donations from our local grocery stores. Unfortunately, grocery store donations stopped last week due to increased demand from the public. These stores no longer have extra food to donate.

For safety reasons, KACS is currently manning the food cupboard solely with our small and dedicated staff. Our 75 volunteers are staying home, and we cannot accept food donations without our volunteers. We normally rely on our community to help with our operations. While this currently isn’t possible, there are still ways you can help.

Here is what we are asking of our community:

Make a donation. The best way to help us help others is to make an online donation on our website at kacsonline.net.
Share our information with your contacts, friends, and network on social media. Be a voice for how people can help each other in this time of social distancing while staying safe.
If you see someone struggling, give them our contact information: 610-925-3556.

Even during a crisis that requires us to stay home, we can support each other. Speaking up for the less fortunate and sharing how you are helping can also inspire others to act.

The Board of Kennett Area
Community Service (KACS)

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

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Around Town March 26

While the COVID-19 pandemic has caused venues to close and events to be canceled, some organizations are staying relevant in cyberspace.

• While the Rachel Kohl Library remains closed at least through the rest of March, and all library-sponsored programs are canceled through April 11, the library still wants to be a source for reading material. People who would like to access the library’s e-resources but don’t have a library card should send an email to support@delcolibraries.org with their name, address, phone number, and birth date. They will receive an email with a library card number and receive a physical card in the mail.

• Staff members of the Chester County Historical Society are staying home but still working to move forward with core programs. One of those programs is National History Day, and CCHS will use an online format, managing to support the hard work of students who have long been preparing for this competition. CCHS is asking people to check in on social media to follow their work and applaud category winners.

• Exhibits at the Chester County Art Association are shut down, there’s still an online presence. The association is asking people to post photos of their art projects to their social media pages and to tag CCAA on Facebook or Instagram to share their creativity. They also want people to send photos to assistant@chestercountyarts.org for inclusion in the next e-blast. The images must be in one of the following sizes: 1080px by 1080px (Square), 1080px by 1350px (Portrait) or 1080px by 608px (Landscape).

• Mt. Cuba is also responding online. In lieu of visiting the gardens in person, we welcome you to visit us virtually in our series of online garden tours in spring, summer, and fall. You can find these tours on our website at mtcubacenter.org/visit/tour/spring. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for regular updates and beautiful garden photos and videos.