BRYANT, Ark. — The Boys and Girls Club in Bryant hopes a global effort of generosity called Giving Tuesday Now will help make ends meet.
Many local nonprofits feel a pinch as they try to operate in the midst of the pandemic.
The Boys and Girls Club in Bryant serves over 2,200 children.
“They service the after school programs and summer programs. [The Boys and Girls Club] helps the kids stay active, stay in the community with involvement,” board member Maria Vann said.
But, they had to close their doors on March 13 because of COVID-19.
“For the club, it has impacted the daily services for the kids to be able to have somewhere to go, to have a meal, to have friends and interaction,” Vann said.
Canceled fundraisers have led to tough conversations.
“We haven’t been able to do our sponsorship programs, our fundraiser. We had bingo coming up, different things like that for us to be able to raise funds to help support these kids in this community,” Vann said.
They hope a global movement to support nonprofits called Giving Tuesday Now will help fill the void. Giving Tuesday is typically held in December, but Tuesday Now will be held on Tuesday, May 5, to help those in need because of the pandemic.
“We do have staff... we have maintenance on the buildings— we do have to keep up during COVID-19— and with that, we can’t have children in the building," Vann said.
"And so, the funding for donations and fundraisers are more applicable than ever."
“You get to change lives, you get to impact these kids in different ways so with those donations on Tuesday, it will help us strive to keep going and keep moving forward,” Vann said.
Remember, you can help out any local nonprofit who may be struggling because of COVID-19.
You can find a list of ways to contribute here: https://now.givingtuesday.org/