Dear Editor,
As 2020 comes to an end (and no one is sad to see it go), the Woodstock Area Relief Fund (WARF) is winding down Covid-19 relief activities. The fund was established as a short-term measure to get folks through these economic challenges until they could get back on their feet.
It is the intent of WARF to fill the gaps of these other programs, and to provide more immediate and timely assistance specifically to individuals and families in the Windsor Central Supervisory Union (Barnard, Bridgewater, Killington, Plymouth, Pomfret, Reading, and Woodstock) for food, medicine, shelter, and childcare.
For some, that hasn’t happened quite yet, but WARF volunteers are diligently guiding every applicant to the many longer-term resources that are better equipped than WARF to provide ongoing support.
Although WARF has ceased fundraising efforts, a number of generous end-of-year donations allows WARF to maintain our current commitments and still help some more families with basic household needs while funds remain.
Please apply if you’ve been impacted by the Covid crisis and are still struggling financially.
Looking ahead, we’re ensuring that the organization can be quickly revived in response to future community-wide crises, and we are initiating conversations with local financial-relief organizations about a coordinated approach to providing needed support during “normal” times with initial goals of simplifying access and using community resources efficiently.
In the meantime, we’d like to thank the many WARF donors and volunteers (especially the caseworkers) who so generously donated their time, effort, and money to help neighbors in need. It’s a different holiday season for sure but we wish you much joy as the year comes to the close and best wishes for a healthy New Year!
The WARF Volunteers
