Loveland Community Resources group wants to hear from you

Community organizations collaborating to meet needs of people in Loveland reached out to Mayor Kathy Bailey for assistance to get a survey out to help you

By Chuck Gibson

LOVELAND, OH (May 4, 2020) – Members of Loveland Community Resources group reached out to Loveland Mayor Kathy Bailey last week seeking her assistance distributing a survey to help determine how to best meet community needs during COVID-19.

Loveland Beacon received the request from Mayor Bailey and spoke to Susan Sprigg, Loveland resident assisting the Loveland Community Resources group. Sprigg has her Master Degree in public health, has consulted in public health and analysis of public health.

The resources group is made up of many previous existing organizations in the Loveland community who provide a variety of useful services to aid people in need throughout the community. Organizations like local churches, the schools, NEST, LIFE Food Pantry, the Care Center, St. Vincent DePaul, Loveland Police, Loveland Symmes Fire Department  and many others have all come together to help the community during this pandemic. As things continue to change, they are asking you to respond to THE SURVEY to tell them what you need and how they can help.

“One of my first questions was: with things changing so quickly, do we feel like we know what the needs are in the community,” said Sprigg explaining why they created the survey. “It was an open question; something the folks on the ground might know, or maybe, was something changing we might not know about yet?”

As weeks have passed with the threat of a public health crisis from coronavirus and the restrictions ordered by Federal, State, City Government and Health Department authorities to curb the threat, Loveland Community Resources has responded to requests for help with a variety of needs.

During the past few weeks NEST and Loveland Schools alone has served nearly 30,000 meals to school kids. That does not even take into account the families served weekly by LIFE Food Pantry. So much more has been done already helping local businesses as well as individuals who faced immediate challenges. Sprigg is concerned about those challenges increasing with time.

“Those challenges aren’t going to get any easier,” Sprigg said. “Second, it’s harder to figure out how to deliver services when you have to do it from a social distance, and then third, we have people in the community now facing economic downturn, economic challenges that maybe they’ve never had before.”

Sprigg speculates some who are facing unprecedented challenges may not know where to turn for help, or how neighbors help one another throughout the community.

Some members of our community may be unaware of the Loveland Community Resources. Then Sprigg adds the fourth item on the list of reasons for a survey: What don’t we know about?

 “What are the needs we don’t know about that people are having,” she asked. “That’s where we decided to put out a survey and invited people to tell us.”

The group wants people to tell them the things they are struggling with, struggles they worry may be yet to come. Sprigg says it is all about learning what they should know to help the community. There is another side to this as well. Loveland Community Resources learned very early on there are people who want to help. The survey addresses that question as well.

In fact, the group is planning to add that information to their website so people who want to, and can help will have a place to learn how they can help. 

“Right now we’ve been talking to churches and other organizations in town to learn their volunteer needs,” Sprigg explained. “That can be a resource on the site too. Not only how do I get the help, but how do I help other people.”

The survey was launched on the Loveland Resources Group website and Facebook page just over a week ago. While it is too early to offer any specific analysis, the response has been good. In just a week, the survey has already had a “couple hundred” respondents according to Sprigg.

There is no telling how long before there is a vaccine or any real end to the coronavirus threat. Even as things begin to open back up and life begins to take on some semblance of a new normal, the question remains what the overall impact will be. For now, Loveland Community Resources plans to keep helping as long as it takes.

“Things are fluid, we are addressing issues on a day-to-day basis,” said Sprigg. “We’ll continue to be flexible as things change.”

You can help by responding to THE SURVEY.

It is an opportunity for members of the community to inform the group about what they are feeling and experiencing with a goal to meet those needs. There is a website page for Loveland Community Resources and they have a Facebook page as well. The group will continue to respond to community needs during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.  

“Message one is there are resources,” Sprigg summarized. “Message two, you can be part of that; including by answering the survey.”

Click here for THE SURVEY

Click here if you need help or want to help