COVID Support for Residents
Earlier in the year, members of Rural Neighborhood’s sewing group happily agreed to help their community when asked to sew face masks for farmworkers and their families in Immokalee. The group, which started approximately four years ago, meets weekly to learn sewing. Lusvi Perez is the volunteer instructor and enjoys helping members learn a skill they can use to supplement their family’s income.
With support and donated materials from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), members of RN’s sewing group made several thousand masks. Each sews at their own home to practice social distancing, but looks forward to returning to class once the virus eases.
RN is helping its residents in other ways. Its Homestead campus periodically serves as a COVID test site for residents and surrounding neighbors. RN also received a $60,000 grant from Collier County under the CARES Act. The funds will be used to create PPE kits for residents and purchase sanitization equipment for RN’s Immokalee properties to sanitize common areas as well as apartments at turnover.
