CAP helps make wishes come true

By REVISE BLALOCK

NEA Town Courier

Mississippi County was one of eight counties in the United States chosen to pioneer the Community Adaptation Program. CAP is an extended arm of the American Red Cross helping to transform how Mississippi County copes with disaster.

Groundbreaking for a new facility at Frenchman’s Bayou for a Help Center to benefit needs of the area.

The program started in Mississippi County two years ago and has been successful in its mission to reach out and partner with non-profit organizations throughout the county to offer support, resources and expertise.

The program has expanded to include 18 locations.

Under the direction of Matt Henry, manager for Mississippi County CAP and coordinator Pam Knapp-Carver, who has 40 years of experience working with the American Red Cross, and coordinator Veena Olsen, the program has been able to help with large projects for non-profit organizations which in turn helps the residents throughout the county.

A food truck was one of many projects funded through the program.

Knapp-Carver came out of a short retirement from the American Red Cross to help launch and be part of the new program. She, Henry and Olsen have worked with non-profit organizations helping meet some of the larger needs such as transportation, equipment and even facilities.

“The communities are on the front line of the climate crisis,” Henry said. “The American Red Cross is supporting communities and families across the country who are struggling to cope with more frequent and intense disasters.”

The American Red Cross is well-known for always being there when disaster hits. The community program is proactive in building up the communities so when disaster happens the needs of those affected can be met.

“We see firsthand how chronic health and mental health conditions, food insecurity and the availability of safe and affordable housing are worsened by disasters,” Henry said.

Three major areas focused on include health, housing and hunger.

As part of the worsening climate crises, disasters are becoming more frequent and intense. In the last 10 years, over 8.5 million people were forced from their homes by extreme weather in the United States and the number of billion-dollar disasters has increased by 70 percent.

“We have found when families are forced from their homes, they tend to remain displaced for longer periods of time, experience an increased risk of poverty and suffer worsening chronic housing, hunger and health changes,” Knapp-Carver said.

Henry pointed out the need for the local assistance through the non-profit organizations and shared how the partnership works.

“This work is being done through our new Community Adaptation Program which is in seven states where there is a high risk for extreme weather and profound solio economic challenges,” Henry said. “Through these partnerships with community nonprofits, we will help strengthen their capacity, capability and continuity to provide increased access to health and mental health services, nutritious food and safe housing for local families who are underserve. In turn, our partners will commit to work with the Red Cross during times of disaster to help get local families back home and mitigate disaster-caused poverty.

“We know we are not experts on everything and working with the local organizations helps to provide critical support for families when they need it most. We provide support, resources and expertise to ensure the partner’s vision guides the investments. We work together to create solutions that address community challenges and are sustainable.”

Knapp-Carver started a non-profit coalition throughout the county with representatives coming together and talking about needs and plans. The coalition has been successful in moving projects forward.

Some of the projects in the county include a transportation van for the East Arkansas Family Health. Many of their clients were missing appointments because they did not have transportation. The van also is used to take clients to appointments with specialists when and where needed.

One of the larger projects was the Help Center at the Frenchman Bayou Baptist Church at Joiner.

“We heard about the work going on and they were actually running a food pantry out of a closet,” Henry said. “There was a need there and they had a desire and willingness to help people. A building and a larger box truck was a real need. The project should be completed this month.”

Funding for a staff member/lawyer for a partnership between Legal Aid of Arkansas and Arise Health in Blytheville was provided to help clients with all types of abuse.

A vehicle was provided for H.I.S. Ministries in Blytheville under the direction of Teri Brassfield. Her non-profit ministry reaches out to meet the needs throughout the area.

Another project was an upgrade at the Mississippi County Union Mission’s kitchen. Through the program, equipment was provided as well as a ventilation system.

Lisa Willard, executive director of the Mississippi County Union Mission, expressed her appreciation to the program.

“The Union Mission was provided a new stove and ventilation system in the kitchen,” Willard said. “The ventilation system had been a need for a long time but because of the cost, it had been put on the back burner. We were also provided with a three-door freezer for the warehouse. The Community Adaptation Program has been a huge blessing to our county. They have helped the mission and it is like a blessing dropped from Heaven.

The non-profit coalition meets once a month and has helped all of us better serve the residents of the county.”

The Union Mission distributes over 500 food boxes a month and serves over 600 sack lunches a month as well as providing temporary housing and meeting other needs.

“As far as we know, we have invested in all of the food pantries in the county,” Henry said.

Volunteer sharing is part of the support group. The program provides opportunities for Red Cross volunteers to support the partner’s mission and explore opportunities for partners to volunteer for the Red Cross. It also provides support to partner with the Red Cross for training opportunities.”

Contact information for the Mississippi County, Arkansas Community Adaptation Program team includes: Matt Henry, matthew.henry3@redcross.org 870-809-9556; Pam Knapp-Carver, pamela.knapp-carver@redcross.org 870-740-2638; or Venna Oldsen, venna.oldsen@redcross.org 870-351-4746.