North America
MI Americas Steps Up Against COVID-19 in the U.S.
April will be remembered as a notorious month for the U.S. economy as unemployment reached levels not seen since the Great Depression. Over twenty million jobs were lost, spiking the unemployment rate to 14.7%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The extent of the devastation wrought on by COVID-19 is difficult to capture in numbers. It is the stories of lost loved ones and the sick dying in isolation that will haunt us for many years to come. The economic wounds are no less grim as millions of families across the nation struggle with the loss of income and food scarcity. This has led to a rising demand for food assistance at an extraordinary rate, just as the nation’s food banks are experiencing shortages of food donations and volunteer workers.
As a humanitarian organization headquartered in New York City – the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. – MI Americas has felt compelled to stand in solidarity with those suffering here at home.
Putting into action the same unique and historic networks of the Order of Malta that allow us to respond swiftly to crises abroad, MI Americas has been able to deploy a variety of activities to support communities across the country.
- We delivered shipments of hand-sanitizers to parishes throughout the eastern seaboard, including Florida, Washington, New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York.
- We partnered with the New York Police Department and volunteers from the Order of Malta American Association, to deliver food to the St Raphael’s food pantry in Long Island City, Queens.
- We delivered food and water to two pantries in Manhattan: New York Common Pantry & St. Francis of Assisi Breadline.
- We delivered hand-sanitizers to Cor Unum Meal Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts -one of the hardest-hit communities by COVID-19 in the northeast.
Demand for food assistance continues to rise as evidenced by the photos of lineups at food banks stretching for miles. In these difficult times, we continue to pray for the health and recovery of our neighbors and fellow Americans.
