Oak Tree Family,
Thank you. Your concern for the vulnerable during this seemingly chaotic time has offered us deep encouragement. While many are responding with panic or intense self preservation, you have responded by asking “How can I help?'“
For some, the idea of being quarantined at home is an unexpected gift, but that’s not the case for everyone. The reality is that many of our neighbors depend on two free meals a day for their children at school. Many of our neighbors don’t have the benefit of sick-leave or vacation days and are stressed thinking about losing a paycheck. On top of that, the majority of our neighbors do not have a computer at home for their kids to keep up with school work, which is truly unfortunate when many are already so far behind grade level. Not to mention, every home is not a happy home. It can be very difficult to receive the sudden news that school or work has been cancelled if it’s your one escape from suffering.
That’s a lot of bad news. But, we believe it is our job to show up when the world is hiding in fear. Not ignorantly or arrogantly, but out of love for our neighbors, humbly offering to be Good News. We plan to continue our ministry in Marks Village throughout this crisis to provide as much consistency as possible, offer safe space for kids, and help adults get the resources they need. We invite you to help us make this possible.
As of right now, we are moving forward with our normal ministry activities since we do not have any large gatherings planned and have no immediate signs of danger within our network or neighborhood. We will increase hand washing with the kiddos and do extra sanitizing when we’re together. Any staff or volunteers who show any signs of sickness or who think they may have been exposed to the virus will not join in activities. We want to be considerate of the fear that many are experiencing and protect those who are most at risk.
While the City of Birmingham is already doing a fantastic job responding to the crisis by considering the needs of all 99 neighborhoods, we know that the majority of our families are not in the loop about what resources are going to be available to them and will not have transportation to access those resources. The Oak Tree team is preparing to assist our neighbors by spreading the word about what is available to them and providing transportation for those in need. We are prepared to provide sack lunch meals if needed and deliver groceries to the elderly who may be fearful of leaving their homes. We are also discussing ways to provide educational time and tutoring for the children in small groups while school is closed.
As we know more details in the days to come, we will keep you up to date on our plans and how you can be involved via our social media pages. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
In the meantime, we invite you to make a donation to help cover the cost of this unexpected ministry situation. If you have time off work and are looking for ways to serve, either with meal prep, childcare, or you have another idea or skill set you’d like to share, please let us know by contacting Raquel. We’d love for you to join us! Please also reach out if you have any questions or resources you want our neighbors to know about.
We are truly grateful for how you choose to show up through your continued support, ready to bravely love like Jesus.