UPDATE TO UMC COMMUNITY REGARDING COVID-19
UMC is committed to being a steady partner – to our donors, our grantees, our nonprofits and our community at large. Even during uncertain times, we are determined to live out our values of Integrity, Transparency, Responsibility, Service and Collaboration in our actions:
- We are looking to create virtual learning experiences for our upcoming workshops, instead of gathering in person.
- UMC has also made the decision for the time being to move as many in-person meetings to virtual meetings as we are able, and this includes our upcoming board and committee meetings.
- For essential in-person meetings or small gatherings, let’s all encourage common sense hygiene such as avoiding shaking hands, frequent hand washing, coughing and sneezing into sleeves, and staying home if you are not feeling well.
- We encourage everyone to understand the facts about COVID-19 in order to make rational decisions. UMC is committed to sharing only information from trusted and validated sources. We recommend regularly checking the website of the Maine Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) or calling 2-1-1 for the latest information on COVID-19 in Maine. For other locations, please check your State’s CDC for guidance.
The possibility of emotional distress as a result of recommended isolation measures is very real (for all of us). The time to come together in trust as a community is now. Reach out to your friends, relatives and neighbors via phone and email and facilitate connections and conversation despite our need to physically distance ourselves. Let’s rally together and take care of each other.
UMC’s nonprofit grantees are continuing their crucial work of providing food, shelter, care and assistance to our friends and neighbors who need it. This is not an optional task, and our entire community is stronger because we have such supports in place. Those served by our grantees will be hit hardest by the repercussions of this pandemic and the needs will be even greater, so please consider how you might provide additional support during and after this crisis. Can you purchase extra food or supplies and share with a local shelter or pantry? Can you send a special donation to help offset additional needs? Even a small act like sending an encouraging note to your favorite nonprofit letting them know that you are thinking of them and that they are doing a good job can lift the spirits of those on the front lines.
And finally, this quote from Dora Mills, Chief Health Improvement Officer for MaineHealth, may resonate with many of us, “…it is also important – even if our lives and plans are disrupted – that we develop and maintain routines, that we talk about what’s going on and how it feels, and that we also plan to have some fun and enjoy each other’s company. During such times, we can feel more rooted and steady if we make sure to take time each day to enjoy something meaningful that warms our hearts.”
UMC is here to serve our community as best we can during this worrying time. Please email or call us with any suggestions, questions or concerns.
Thank you all for warming our hearts, always.