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Washington, DC—March 21—Central Union Mission in partnership with United Healthcare will administer COVID-19 tests on March 22 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Family Ministry Center located at 3194-B Bladensburg Road, NE, Washington, DC 20018.
Washington, DC, has over 40,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with many health experts contributing that number to infected residents being unaware of their status. Therefore, in an attempt to maximize access to the city’s most vulnerable population, Central Union Mission will administer tests during their prime food distribution hours.
Deborah Chambers, Vice President of Development and Partnerships at Central Union Mission said, “We’ve seen a 333% increase in the people coming to get emergency food and we are glad to offer testing as they come to get groceries.”
Distributing tests is just the most recent action taken by Central Union Mission to ensure the safety of the hardest hit communities. They have provided face masks, hand sanitizer and gloves to the public since the pandemic began. “By God’s grace we haven’t had one case of COVID-19 at this shelter,” said President & CEO, Joe Mettimano. “We finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.”
As vaccines begin to make their way through communities and stimulus dollars trickle their way to families in need, a greater need still exists. The working poor are the first ones impacted and the last ones to recover during times of economic decline. “We’re already thinking about pivoting from COVID response to COVID recovery because a lot of people lost their jobs,” said Mettimano.
As Central Union Mission continues to provide food, clothing and an ad hoc list of supportive services through their Family Ministry Center, they are proactively preparing for what’s next.
For more information on COVID-19, please visit: CDC.gov
To register for COVID-19 vaccinations, please visit: Coronavirus.dc.gov/vaccinatedc
About Central Union Mission:
Central Union Mission is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the oldest private social service agency in Washington, DC. In addition to its emergency shelter, which provides more than 60,000 bed-nights each year, the Mission operates holistic, Christ-centered transformation and workforce development programs for men, provides benefits for veterans, helps people overcome addictions, operates a food and clothing distribution center which provides food for over 4,000 people each month, runs a camp for underprivileged children, and offers a ministry to families and senior citizens. Charity Navigator has rated Central Union Mission a three-star charity, GuideStar awarded Central Union Mission a Gold Seal for our financial transparency and GreatNonProfits has given Central Union Mission a Top-Rated award.
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