Every Tuesday, they wait by a worn door at the Fray Garces Colombian Hall in Glendale, a congregation of regulars and newcomers, many arriving with abandoned grocery carts overflowing with their sole possessions.

For many homeless and low-income people, nonprofit organizations such as Grateful Hearts Free Meals offer not only food, clothing and hygiene products, but also a respite from unpredictable lives. Lately, however, even these safe havens are facing tough times with the onset of COVID-19. Olivia Templeton, Grateful Hearts executive director, says the number of volunteers and visitors has dropped substantially since the outbreak.

“A lot of my volunteers were older and didn’t want to get exposed, while the [people needing help] assumed we were closed,” she says. “We’ve lost about half of our volunteers and regular visitors.”

According to Arizona’s COVID-19 Nonprofit Pulse Poll compiled by the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits, as of June, the reported total loss of nonprofits’ revenue was $53 million with 2,877 reported total organization layoffs and furloughs, and 36,477 reported total number of loss of volunteers.

“A lot of people don’t often consider how lives are touched by nonprofits. When we stop and think, many hospitals and schools are nonprofits,” says Kristen Merrifield, Alliance CEO. “Nonprofits are always there and will continue to be. But without support, they can’t be readily available to serve at the level needed if we don’t fund them property.” 

Pamela Keefe, vice president and nonprofit relationship manager for NB|AZ, also knows the toll an economic plummet can have on a community. More than 3,000 nonprofit organizations are NB|AZ’s clients.