Community Connections: NAMI and Trinity-by-the Cove

For nearly a decade, Trinity-by-the Cove has provided financial support to National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Collier County, and the church’s grant committee came to the organization’s rescue during the pandemic shutdown.

NAMI Collier County was forced to close the Sarah Ann Center, its drop-in center for 400 clients with mental illness, and halt its Health Under Guided Systems program, which identifies children with social, emotional, or behavioral challenges and provides support to the families– 1,200 annually.

Quarantine isolation “for people with a mental health diagnosis or substance abuse history can result in instability and relapses,” says NAMI Collier Director of Development Kristin Long. “Many of our clients live on fixed incomes and below the poverty level, often relying on food pantries and our services to subsidize their basic needs.”

With the help of Trinity-by-the Cove, Meals of Hope, the Community Foundation of Collier County, and Collier Harvest, staff members at NAMI Collier County were able to deliver 800 meals to address food insecurity as unemployment and lost wages rose during the stay-at-home phase.

The no-touch deliveries allowed staff to visit clients regularly and determine whether they had other unmet needs. “It is so meaningful to our members and families because they got to see a familiar face and know someone cares,” says Long.

The church has been supporting NAMI Collier County for almost 10 years, supplying grants to buy a van and to make improvements to the Sarah Ann Center, including purchasing lockers for the homeless to keep their belongings in while visiting. Trinity-by-the Cove focuses its grantmaking on organizations that serve children and help people directly with basic needs, including food.

For tips on bolstering coping skills during these unusual coronavirus times, visit https://www.namicollier.org/. Find out about its education, advocacy, and support programs and ways to financially assist the nonprofit, including its annual fundraising and awareness-raising walk in January.