Carbondale Reporter

The Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) Foundation, a nonprofit based tasked with improving the health and lives of area residents, is providing 18 local nonprofits with $1,000 donations to help them deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re grateful, so grateful,” Carmilita Cahill, coordinator of the Carbondale Warming Center, a nonprofit refuge for the homeless, told KFVS 12.

Cahill said the center can has filled 32 of the 37 guest spaces it can accommodate. 

Established in 2009, the SIH Foundation provides charitable gifts on behalf of local hospitals the SIH Memorial Hospital, SIH Herrin Hospital and the SIH St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro. The foundation helps support the SIH Cancer Institute and the Trauma Center in Carbondale.

Cahill told KFVS one of her residents had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

“She said she had never felt fear like that in her life when she had to take that test and didn’t know if she was going to be able to come back here,” Cahill said. “She had them call us. We were like ‘Yep send her down, we have the safe place ready for this.’”

Tina Carpenter, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Illinois, was another recipient of SIH funding. She said the money will be used to feed local families in need.

“It means a lot that they are able to support and help us to continue to feed our families," Carpenter said. “We are not getting the food for free, we are not preparing the food ourselves because we do have a kitchen, but we are going to restaurants and saying this is what we can afford, can you help us out?”

Yet another recipient – Sherrie Crabb, CEO of the Family Counseling Center – said the money can be used to purchase two online subscriptions for a website to provide mental health services to virtual clients.

“It’s nice to be able to see a grant opportunity come across our desk especially right now when we have to be more innovative that ever before in how we deliver services," Crabb said.

SIH Foundation Director Jill Gobert told KFVS the money is needed by nonprofits because the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for services while slashing the ability of donors to support causes.

Other recipients include the Daystar Community Program, Good Samaritan Ministries, Greater Galatia Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry, Perry County Health Dept., Pregnancy Matters, and the Shawnee Development Council.

This is the first round of funding. A second round is being planned, the KVFS report said.