Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1437729
9 R E P O R T T O T H E C O M M U N I T Y 9 R E P O R T T O T H E C O M M U N I T Y In addition to providing funding, CFCG and United Way hosted monthly meetings (more frequent early on) via Zoom to identify pressing needs due to the pandemic. These calls built connections between nonprofit leaders that enabled them to work together to find creative solutions to their peers' concerns. The camaraderie that has developed and the encouragement offered are bonus benefits of the calls! More than 125 grants from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund were awarded to nonprofit organizations across the Central Georgia region. Crisis Line & Safe House of Central Georgia was one organization that benefited from grants from the Fund after sharing a large expense caused by the pandemic. Suzanne Walker, shelter director at Crisis Line & Safe House, explained, "Those who were already in the shelter when the pandemic started remained in the shelter, but to comply with quarantine guidelines, we needed to house new residents somewhere with ample space and amenities." The organization shifted its process to house new residents in hotel rooms. This quickly removed the victims from dangerous situations but required additional funding to pay for the hotel rooms, which would not have been possible without grant funding from the COVID-19 Fund. "We are so fortunate that we have CFCG's community leadership in our region, because we know they care, and they are always there to help," said Walker. "The power we harness together is far greater than our individual efforts, and the pandemic served as an important reminder of how much more we can accomplish when we work together toward common goals."