This includes emergency financial assistance and childcare funding becoming available to Boynton Beach residents, as well as an expansion of BHH’s Boynton Beach Pantry Bag Program.
Previously limited to Boca Raton residents, BHH is making available financial assistance to Boynton Beach residents in crisis to assist with rent, utilities, and childcare expenses through its Resource Center. Following Boynton Beach, the goal is to expand the program to Lantana/Lake Worth residents and then, eventually, to the other zip codes in Palm Beach County that BHH serves.
Since the inception of the BHH Resource Center in 2003, BHH has helped over 3,800 Boca Raton families by distributing nearly $1.1 million to help with rent and utilities. As federally funded pandemic assistance and moratoriums expire, Boca Helping Hands aims to expand its financial services through Palm Beach County to serve families in crisis. Boca Helping Hands also has a strong partnership with Spanish River Church and Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services to provide emergency financial support to clients by combining resources and funds.
The Boca Helping Hands Children’s Assistance Program (CAP) was started in 2006 out of the need to help working families pay for safe, reliable childcare so that they could maintain full-time employment. Since then, BHH has assisted nearly 700 kids and their families with over $460,000 to help cover the cost of daycare, summer camp and afterschool care, enabling parents like Daniella DiVentura to continue to work. Last year, Daniella received financial assistance for both rent and childcare costs. At the time, she was a single mom struggling to make ends meet.
“I felt so humbled - I'd never received financial assistance before in my life, so it was a weird feeling to accept help,” she said. “But at the same time, I felt so grateful, and it allowed me to continue to work. If I can't work, I can't do anything, so it really meant a lot that people donate to Boca Helping Hands.”
“The establishment of Boca Helping Hands’ footprint to the north prompted the decision to expand the financial assistance program for utilities, rent and the Children’s Assistance Program,” said Trina Chin Cheong, Director of Programs. “As we address the needs of various communities, the intention is to serve more areas in North Palm Beach County.”
To apply for help, documentation must be submitted to Boca Helping Hands and is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Requirements and additional information about how to apply for financial assistance can be found on the website at BocaHelpingHands.org/ResourceCenter.
Starting on April 21, Boca Helping Hands will also be expanding its food distribution schedule in Boynton Beach from four days a week to five. The Boynton Beach satellite distribution site first opened in November of 2017 and currently distributes pantry bags four days a week at the First Baptist Church of Boynton Beach (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 am-12 pm).
Demand has steadily increased since then, growing from 355 pantry bags of groceries distributed in that first month to 1,531 bags distributed in March of 2021. As a response to the growing need within this community, BHH is adding a distribution on Wednesdays at St. John Missionary Baptist Church from 1:00 pm-2:30 pm starting on April 21.
Information on how to register for the Pantry Bag Program, hours and distribution locations can be found on BHH’s website at BocaHelpingHands.org/PantryBagProgram.
In addition to receiving pantry bags in Boynton Beach, uninsured clients can also receive medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare vouchers to be redeemed at Genesis Community Health. In an effort to provide healthcare services to the economically disadvantaged, Boca Helping Hands distributed 522 vouchers in 2020 and has given out 198 vouchers to date in 2021. Currently, there is a dedicated volunteer who distributes vouchers at the Boynton Beach location; however, because we’re actively recruiting more volunteers to assist, please visit the website to confirm distribution availability at our satellite locations in Boynton Beach, West Boca, and Lantana. Vouchers are also available at the Boca Helping Hands main facility in East Boca Raton Monday-Friday from 9:00 am-12:30 pm.
To further support the Boynton Beach community, Boca Helping Hands has also joined the Heart of Boynton Social Service Alliance, a group of agencies that will coordinate resources to provide a safety net for Heart of Boynton residents as they navigate the road to COVID-19 recovery. The brainchild of Sherry Johnson-Frew, Program Director at the Boynton Beach Faith-Based Community Development Corporation, the Alliance will work to prevent evictions and foreclosures, provide emergency and flexible financial aid, identify resources for mental health education and family caregiving, and provide job training classes and assistance with job placement. BHH will provide job training resources to area families. BHH has already helped cover a portion of the cost of one person’s training to become an Emergency Medical Technician.
“Building productive partnerships – like with the Boynton Alliance – is part of our strategy to maximize our impact in the communities we serve,” said Boca Helping Hands Executive Director Greg Hazle.
