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COVID-19 update: donations, supplies continue to flow, but more is needed

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City council special meeting. During an April 17 special meeting, the Las Cruces City Council allocated $139,500 to provide additional support to the community through local nonprofits and other essential service providers being impacted by COVID-19. The allocations were $65,000 to Mesilla Valley Habitat for Humanity (MVHH) to complete five houses currently under construction. The support is necessary because MVHH has temporarily lost much of its core of volunteers due to COVID-19, according to city documents. A second allocation was $74,500 to a city Microloan Technical Assistance program to assist local businesses. All the funds will come from the city’s general fund. The city council allocated nearly $1.03 million on April 3 and $684,000 on April 10 from the city’s Telshor Fund to assist nonprofits.

City of Las Cruces/Doña Ana County Office of Emergency Management. MountainView Regional Medical Center staff “continue to carefully monitor resources, particularly supplies and personnel, and have adequate supplies and staffing to care for our patients at this time,” said Kelly Jameson, who is the public information officer for Las Cruces Public Schools and is heading up the city/county Office of Emergency Management joint information center during the public health crisis. Memorial Medical Center has an adequate supply of personal protective equipment, Jameson said, and continues to accept public donations of the following: N95, surgical and cloth facemasks, procedure masks with shields, surgical/isolation gowns, cloth patient gowns, painters’ suits/coveralls, exam gloves, eye shields, cleaning wipes and staff food donations. Jameson said the DAC Detention Center would welcome the donation of homemade facemasks for their staff. To make donations, contact MMC at 575-522-8641 and visit www.mmclc.org; contact the county Detention Center at 575-647-7600 and visit www.donaanacounty.org/detention.

Mesilla Valley Community of Hope (MVCH)/Camp Hope Tent City. “We require everyone that comes in for services to wear a mask and if they don’t have one, we hand one out,” said MVCH Executive Director Nicole Martinez. “We received city funding to help anyone living within city limits with help with rent if they have had a (verifiable) loss of income related to COVID-19.” MVCH needs donations of money, protective masks and men’s clothing. MVCH is located at 999 W. Amador Ave. Contact Martinez at

575-523-2219, extension 114, and hope@zianet.com. Visit www.mvcommunityofhope.org.

El Caldito Soup Kitchen. “We are seeing the same amount of clients right now,” said El Caldito Volunteer Coordinator/Kitchen Administrator Diane D’Ambrosio. “Our volunteers have definitely gone down; we have the same folks coming in to help daily and they're getting pretty exhausted. We lost all of our college and school groups. Our retired volunteers are staying safe and not coming in,” she said. Volunteers do need to bring their own protective gear.” El Caldito needs donations of ground coffee, coffee creamer, sugar, ground pepper and sliced bread, D’Ambrosio said. El Caldito would also welcome donations of protective masks. El Caldito is located on the MVCH campus, 999 W. Amador Ave. Call D’Ambrosio at 575-525-3831. Visit https://elcalditolc.org/.

Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico (CFSNM). CFSNM’s Nonprofit Emergency Fund has granted more than $18,000 to nonprofit organizations that have been impacted or experienced loss in revenue due to COVID-19, said CFSNM Director of Impact and Outreach Jordan Allen said. The fund is a partnership between CFSNM and United Way of Southwest New Mexico and serves nonprofits with operating budgets of $500,000 or less in Doña Ana and six other counties. CFSNM’s Together Las Cruces fund “continues to see an overwhelming amount of applications each week,” Allen said. “Together Las Cruces has granted more than $233,000 to nearly 850 residents in Doña Ana County who have been laid off or furloughed due to COVID-19.” Including support from the city, the fund has received more than $395,000 in donations. “To continue funding in the coming weeks, we need more donors,” Allen said. Visit www.communityfoundationofsouthernnewmexico.com.

La Casa, Inc. domestic violence program. La Casa is at capacity. Its greatest needs at the present time are electronic devices: laptops, tablets, earbuds, DVDs, music players for kids and adults. “With shelter- in-place, we need ways to keep folks entertained and have access to information,” said La Casa Executive Director Henry Brutus. Contact La Casa at 575-526-8542. Their 24-hour emergency hotline number is 800-376-2272. Visit www.lacasainc.org.


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