Free Community Resources for Parents

A link to resources in our county (thanks to Joni McElwayney, our county SSW for this!):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17-L44nMt3bjRXPevMtQ8FQ6QqoJymrAu/view?ts=5e9dd652

To access the most recent COVID resource information for families: https://gafcp.org/coronavirus/

Free Community Resources for Students and Families

• AT&T is offering 60 days of free public service and is lifting its unlimited data caps for cell phone subscribers for at least 60 days. They will not terminate the service (home phone, broadband or small business customer due to the inability to pay caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. If you are unable to pay your bill, AT&T asks that customers call 800-288-2020. https://about.att.com/pages/COVID-19.html

• Comcast - Offering free service through its Xfinity hotspots for 60 days. The access points are within some small businesses as well as public locations.Comcast said it will send all new Internet Essentials customers a free self-install kit that includes a cable modem with a Wi-Fi router, with no term contract or credit check and no shipping fee.https://www.xfinity.com/prepare#wifi-optimization

• Spectrum is offering free public access at each of its public hotspots and in accordance with government emergency regulations, will not cut service to residential or small business customers who are unable to pay for services. https://mobile.spectrum.com/support/article/360040980371/coronavirus-covid19-updateIn addition, Spectrum is offering free broadband to households with students affected by Coronavirus shutdown areas. View more information about Spectrum assist here.https://www.spectrum.com/browse/content/spectrum-internet-assist.html Charter will offer free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students — which do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription — at any service level up to 100 megabits per second.

• Sprint is lifting its unlimited data caps for cell phone subscribers for a minimum of 60 days, perhaps longer. https://newsroom.sprint.com/covid-19-updates-sprint-responds.htm?INTNAV=Search:covid-19

• T-Mobile is lifting its unlimited data caps for cell phone subscribers for a minimum of 60 days. https://www.t-mobile.com/brand/ongoing-updates-covid-19?icid=MGPO_TMO_P_CUSTSUPT_K49SR0SE1EB2Z9F6E20091_HP#customers We are continuing to work with customers on a case-by-case basis to manage account issues. We do not have an offer available for 60 days of free service and encourage consumers to be cautious of social media posts that may include fraudulent numbers.https://www.t-mobile.com/news/t-mobile-update-on-covid-19-response?icid=MGPO_TMO_U_CUSTSUPT_Z2739VFSHS97O7KGF20085

• Verizon has announced they will not be charging late or disconnect fees for an indefinite amount of time. https://www.verizon.com/about/news/update-verizon-serve-customers-covid-19

• Banks County - Banks County School Lunch Drop Location - https://www.banks.k12.ga.us/school-lunch-drop-locations.html

• Dawson County - Dawson County Schools -- Meals will be delivered through county bus routes. Buses will leave schools at 10:30 a.m. and hope to have all meals delivered at each stop by 11:30 a.m. Kids will get a lunch and breakfast for the next morning.

• Fannin County - Fannin County Schools - Beginning Wednesday, March 18th, the school system will provide school meals to Fannin County children ages 1-18 at various pick-up points across the county. Students must be present to pick up the meal. All food will be served cold and in individual servings to keep it safe from spoiling.Families can pre-order meals and designate a pick-up point if possible. Submitting this form will help us as we try to plan how many meals should be delivered to each location. This will also help us identify any families who would like meals for their children but who do not have transportation to one of the drop-off locations.Fannin County School Closure Community Information

• Franklin County - Franklin County Schools - provide free daily meals (breakfast and lunch) https://www.franklin.k12.ga.us/

• Gainesville City Schools - Food Services - Beginning Wednesday, March 18, students will pick up meals from school buses that will arrive between 10:30am and 12:30pm at the following locations:

  • Brentwood Apartments Budgetel Inn and Suites ,Catalina Drive, Legacy at Lanier Apartments (formerly The Columns), Harrison Square Apartments, HomeTowne Studios, Lake Forest Apartments, Linwood Apartments, Melrose Community Apartments, Norwood Apartments, Oconee Springs, Orchard Brook, Paces Court, The Peaks at Gainesville (formerly Lenox Park), Ridgecrest Apartment Homes, Spring Haven, Versailles Apartments, West Avenue - https://gcssk12.net/community/news_media/coronavirus__covid-19__update

• Habersham County - Habersham School System and community meal service information - Habersham Food List

• Hall County - Hall County Schools - will provide breakfast and lunch for all students on our bus routes, once a day, beginning Monday, March 16th. These meals are free. Both breakfast and lunch will be delivered together during this once-a-day delivery. Routes will begin at 8:15 a.m. and most should be completed by 9 a.m. If your children require meals, please wait at their designated bus stop to receive delivery. Hall County School District families may also drive through any elementary school between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Monday through Friday, to pick up student meals.

• Hart County - Hart County Schools - provide free meals to students 18 and younger to be picked up at their zoned elementary school from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. - https://www.hart.k12.ga.us/

• Lumpkin County - Lumpkin County Schools: For the first week, are partnering with Lumpkin County Family Connection, Community Helping Place, Head Start, and Dahlonega Country Day Academy to identify families in need and to help coordinate efforts. School and community agencies teamed to collect all perishable food items at the schools and transport them to our Student Outreach Center at LCMS. Food boxes this week will now include milk, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, and yogurt which would have otherwise perished during our closure. Moving forward in the weeks to come, the system has created an online survey for parents to request meals for their students that will be delivered to their homes. Students will receive breakfast and lunch each day. https://tinyurl.com/LCFoodDelivery

• Rabun County - Rabun County School Nutrition will provide meals at NO COST for all children ages 2 – 18. (children do not have to be Rabun County Students). Meals will be available on Mondays only; however, you can pick up meals for the whole week at this time. Meals will be available for pickup at the Primary School Bus Loading Area (10am-12pm), the Mountain City Flea Market (10am-12pm), Vista Ridge Apartments on Marsen Knob Dr.(10am-12pm), Dunlap Apartments (10am-10:30am), Stavemill Apartments (10:40am-11:15am), and Clayton-Duckett Apartments (11:15am-12pm). Children must be present to pick up meals.

• Stephens County - Stephens County School System is preparing to provide daily meals (breakfast and lunch) at NO COST for children ages 18 and under. Children must be present to pick up meals. We will operate a drive by meal pick up at Stephens County Middle School 10:00 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. (Monday-Friday) March 19-April 3, 2020 subject to change . Children will receive a Grab-N-Go lunch along with a breakfast for the the following morning. http://stephenscountyschools-ga.schoolloop.com/file/1500178971695/1529479467432/2993829122353217319.pdf

• Towns County - Towns County Schools providing pick up meals. Buses will deliver the meals to the parking lot of Lower Hightower Baptist Church, Enota Apartments in Young Harris, and the Towns County Senior Center on Monday, March 16th from 10:00 AM until 11:30 AM.

• Union County - Union County Schools - free meal to any child in Union County ages 1 to 18 years old at no cost. Meals will be delivered Tuesday and Thursday from 12:00pm until 1:00pm at the 12 voting locations. Please answer these questions to help us in planning before Tuesday. If you have questions or cannot get to one of the locations please call 706-835-4408.https://forms.gle/fiaPLNU7ZqmoeoUt8

• White County - White County Schools - White County School Nutrition Department will continue to serve lunches and breakfasts for the following day. We will also be providing a drive-through pick up location at White County Middle School from 11:30 am -12:30 pm daily. Individual drop off locations can be found on our district website. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1s-t_InVV_KSsFO_CmeUH1VVtUWfArGI5

• North Georgia Community Foundation is collecting money to help nonprofits in North Georgia who need help providing assistance to people affected by the coronavirus pandemic.The Coronavirus Relief Fund will be used to help local organizations that have faced increased demand for their services or lost revenue due to closures and cancellations.https://www.ngcf.org/

• Level Up in our Community - will provide lunches for children who are out of school due to coronavirus concerns.Families can drive up to the Veterans of Foreign Wars location in Gainesville beginning at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, choose from several boxed lunch options, then pull around to collect their food. Families from surrounding communities are welcome to come. Request is that families use honesty and good judgement to take only what they need so there’s enough to go around.

• Georgia Food Bank Association - served by one of Georgia’s eight Feeding America affiliate Food Banks. Find yours here to donate or get help. https://georgiafoodbankassociation.org/find-your-food-bank/

• Food Finder - is a mobile app and website created by a Georgia high school graduate that helps students and families find free food assistance programs quickly. https://foodfinder.us/

• United Way’s 211 - is free, confidential information on services and referrals to programs aligned with the individual’s specific needs.Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in 140 different languages serving Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Franklin, Greene, Hart, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Stephens, and Walton County. Dial 2-1-1 or http://www.navigateresources.net/uwng/ or http://www.211.org/services/covid19

• Wage Assistance - https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic

• U.S. Department of Labor announces New Guidance on Unemployment Insurance Flexibilities during COVID-19 Outbreak - https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20200312-0

• Citibank- They are waiving monthly service fees and penalties for early CD withdrawal for retail bank customers.They are also providing fee waivers on monthly service fees, remote deposit capture, and penalties for early CD withdrawal. They also have assistance programs for eligible credit card customers including credit line increases and collection forbearance programs and for eligible Mortgage Customers. https://online.citi.com/US/JRS/pands/detail.do?ID=covid19

• PNC Bank- prepared to offer assistance, as needed, to impacted customers through a range of measures." They are urging customers to call them at 1-888-762-2265 (7 a.m. - 10 p.m. ET Monday - Friday; 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET Saturday & Sunday). https://www.pnc.com/en/customer-service/update-center.html?lnksrc=homepage-alert

• Wells Fargo - will help customers experiencing financial hardships as a result of COVID-19: "If in need of assistance, we encourage customers to call us at 1-800-219-9739 to speak with a trained specialist to discuss options available for their consumer lending, small business and deposit products."https://www.wellsfargo.com/jump/enterprise/coronavirus-response

• Giving Kitchen - provides support to food service workers with compassion and care by providing financial assistance to those in crisis due to an unexpected illness, injury, death of an immediate family member or housing disaster in Georgia. - https://thegivingkitchen.org/covid19

• Atlanta Food Bank - Find a food pantry near you. https://acfb.org/local-impact-map

Kids can access their very own e-book service, eRead Kids, with over 15,000 digital books and audiobooks. Visit the "Digital Library" page on our website (chestatee library.org) or visit georgialibraries.org/eReadKids to access the collection. Students will need your library card number and your password.

If you need assistance with either of these resources, staff members will be available by phone (706-864-3668) or via email at lumpkin@chestateelibrary.org.