Together supports Omaha community through outreach programs, distributes produce to meet food needs

Juli Oberlander • September 30, 2021

Together supports Omaha community through outreach programs, distributes produce to meet food needs

Photos by Connor Paintin

From the 1975 Omaha tornado to the COVID-19 pandemic, Together Omaha has adapted to bring relief to the community during emergency situations.

A nonprofit organization that seeks to provide food and shelter to at-risk populations, Together has worked throughout the pandemic to maintain public health and strengthen Omaha's food system.

“Healthy and safe, that was our mantra as we faced the unprecedented challenges of last year," says Krissy Madej, director of marketing and communications. "I am happy to share that after responding to the community's needs for the

past eleven months, we all remain healthy and safe."

Of Together's various programs that aim to help Omahans gain access to food and shelter, Madej says the nonprofit's Nourish and Crisis Engagement programs were most impacted by the pandemic.

At the start of COVID-19, she says Together received an increased number of requests for help, meaning the team had to respond quickly. To meet the community's needs, Together moved the Choice Food Pantry outside and transitioned to a drive-thru model distributing prepackaged boxes of food to hundreds of cars daily through all kinds of weather.

Madej says Together also collaborated with other nonprofits to develop a home delivery system to deliver food to families quarantining and isolating due to the pandemic. The nonprofit worked with the Douglas County Health Department, One World, Whispering Roots, Catholic Charities, The Big Garden, Latino Center of the Midlands and Intercultural Senior Center to distribute nutritious food to vulnerable populations.

"All these extraordinary efforts from all distribution points resulted in 161,000 boxes of food being distributed, also translated as 2.8 million pounds of food or 3.4 million meals," Madej says. "Essentially, we experienced a 400% increase in demand for our Nourish program over the previous year."

During this time, Madej says Together also changed its approach to the Crisis Engagement program. When people submitted emergency financial requests, the team switched to providing virtual responses to help stop evictions and stabilize housing.

"Given the importance of housing in a pandemic, the need we saw was overwhelming," Madej says. "Our team responded to

341% more phone calls leading to 219% more households served, and 739% more financial assistance provided than in the previous year."

Additionally, Madej says Together ensured Omaha's most vulnerable populations had access to supplies necessary to surviving the pandemic, including personal protective equipment (PPE), tents, sleeping bags and hygiene items.

Along with Together's other services, Madej says the Horizons program served participants experiencing chronic homelessness. In the height of the pandemic, the team continued to meet participants in their homes and at shelters.

Madej says increased needs required more home and shelter visits.

"Our program participants experienced elevated levels of anxiety and nervousness during the pandemic resulting in a need for more frequent touchpoints," she says. "Our team responded to these elevated needs with health and safety in mind."

To meet the community's needs, Madej says Together's 2020 expenses grew 87 percent over the previous year largely due to increased food and housing support costs.

"Responding to the pandemic has had a dramatic impact on our organization and its operations," she says. "Thankfully, our revenue grew 110% fueled by a 63% increase in new donors to meet the increased expenses and demand on our organization. We are beyond grateful for the overwhelming support we received."

Madej says Together remains concerned about the sustainability of this effort, as its data shows the team will need to maintain

this level of operations through the end of 2021 at a minimum. However, Together has updated its strategic plan to sustain its outreach efforts through 2022 to reflect the impact of the pandemic and its more immediate organizational goals.

While expanding its programs has resulted in heightened expenses, Madej says it remains crucial to help the community during COVID-19, as Together has seen a dramatic increase in clients it is serving on-site due to the pandemic. As part of this support, Together has launched a home pantry delivery service in collaboration with the Douglas County Department of Health and other community partners.

Madej says the delivery service has made a significant impact. One recent success story involved Beverly and her three children. When Beverly was recovering from COVID-19 and unable to leave her home or access food, Beverly called the Douglas County Health Department, and the staff referred her to Together.

After she called Together, Beverly received meals that same day.

"Thank you, thank you," Beverly says. "You don't know how much we appreciate this."

In these unprecedented times, Madej says the journey to recovery has just begun.

"All in all, we survived and thrived last year, and against significant headwinds, the organization experienced one of its most impactful years on record," she says. "We were and continue to be honored and humbled to be on the front lines responding to our community’s needs in its time of greatest need. As successful as last year was, a lot of work remains, and we are still facing a long road to recovery for the individuals and families we serve each and every day."

To learn more about Together and its programs, visit the website and Facebook page.

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