Throughout this pandemic, DVCCC commits to continuing the best possible service to our Chester County community: All support groups are suspended until further notice - but our hotline and other services are still available. Please call first.

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DVCCC's March 28, 2020 fundraising event, All That's Purple 2020: Together We Can,

has been postponed. Details forthcoming.

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Are you at home and feel unsafe calling us?

Use this link to access the National Domestic Violence Hotline's online chat function

or text LOVEIS to 22522 and chat immediately with an advocate.

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Are you planning on mailing supplies to DVCCC to support our program participants and residents during this time? Do you prefer/need to mail to a street address rather than our PO Box? Use:

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1001 E Lincoln Avenue, Suite 103

Coatesville, PA 19320

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COVID-19 Resources

In understanding the issues survivors are facing, we have organized a helpful resource guide here to assist and ease concerns during this uncertain situation.

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Food Resources

• These are PDF guides to local food cupboards and hot meal distribution sites. Hours and site operation may be affected by the current crisis, please contact each location before heading there to make sure they are open!

  • Click here for a list of hot meal distribution sites

  • Click here for a list of food cupboards across the county

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• Avon Grove School District: On Wednesday, April 15, AGSD’s Grab & Go Meals pick-up location at Rosehill Field is changing to the Avon Grove High School (AGHS) student parking lot. Grab & Go Meals will still be available at the Avondale United Methodist Church location as well. Grab & Go Meals are free to all AGSD students and children age 18 and under. Learn more here.

  • Meals can be picked up every Monday and Wednesday, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., throughout the remainder of the school year.

    • Monday's package contains two days of meals and Wednesday's package contains three days of meals. Each day of meals includes a breakfast meal and a lunch meal, and will be provided on a first come, first served basis.

    • Parents and students do not need to get out of the car - simply drive up to the distribution table to get your meal(s). Walk-ups are welcome. We encourage families to continue to be proactive in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 by not congregating at the pick-up location.

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• Coatesville Area School District: CASD will be providing a grab-and-go breakfast & lunch (can be picked up together) at Rainbow Elementary School, Scott Middle School, the Coatesville Area Senior High School, Benner Building, West End Fire Hall, Modena Borough Hall, and will be providing Delivery to Indian Run and Regency. Distribution hours will remain the same: Mondays and Wednesdays at the sites listed above, from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Learn more here.

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• Downingtown Area School District: Providing bagged meals via a drive-up service. The Pennsylvania Department of Education has recently approved DASD to provide free breakfast and lunch to all children in the area, ages 0-18, regardless of if they qualify for the free and reduced meal plan or attend DASD. In order to streamline the process and best accommodate families, DASD will provide bags of food on Tuesdays and Fridays only. Tuesday’s bags will contain a three-day supply of food per child, and Friday’s bags will include a four-day supply of food per child. 

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• Kennett Consolidated School District: Updated Monday, April 6, 2020, Kennett has a detailed schedule and list of specific food distribution sites on their website: access the KCSD food distribution guide here.

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• Phoenixville Area School District: PASD has committed to ensuring our students continue to receive meal support while schools are closed in response to the COVID-19 virus.
  PASD is committed to providing breakfast and lunch for students while our schools are closed.  Any child (age 0-18) can come to one of our four food distribution sites below between 10:30 and noon every weekday for a meal. Learn more here.

  • Barkley Elementary 320 Second Avenue

  • Ann’s Heart 30 Hall Street (the old Sacred Heart School)

  • PACS 257 Church Street

  • Bethel Baptist 412 Fairview Street

  • Kmart Parking Lot, 1000 Nutt Rd.

  • Technical College High School – Pickering Campus, 1580 Charlestown Rd.

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• Unionville-Chadds Ford School District: Meals will be available on Monday (3/16/20) from 6am to 8am and 4pm to 6pm. Each student will receive FIVE breakfast meals and FIVE lunch meals during their initial pickup with a second round of food distribution scheduled for 3/23/20. Food can be picked up at: Unionville High School (Gym Entrance) and Chadds Ford Elementary School (Main Entrance). Learn more here.

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• West Chester Area School District: Our community has always been one to rally and help, and many have reached out to ask if we need assistance getting food to our lower-income families.  At the moment, we are able to provide meals and we do not need volunteers. We will let you know if that changes. Families who are eligible for support with school meals will be notified. If you believe that you should have received the notification but did not by the end of today, please contact Leigh Ann Ranieri, Director of Pupil Services at lranieri@wcasd.net or 484-266-1229 or 484-266-1050. Learn more here.

  • Families that need additional assistance can contact:

    • Act in Faith Greater West Chester 484-324-8492

    • Baptist Church of West Chester 610-696-7466

    • West Chester Food Cupboard 610-344-3175

    • West Chester Salvation Army 610-696-8746

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• Chester County Food Bank: The Chester County Food Bank provides an essential service to the community and we will continue to do so taking the recommended COVID-19 precautionary measures for the health and safety of our staff, volunteers, partners and the community.  CCFB is a partner with the Chester County Health Department and will continue to follow their recommendations as the authority on this situation. Learn more here.

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• Phoenixville Area Community Services (PACS): Emergency assistance is provided through food distribution and Information & Referral services that help get our clients back on their feet. PACS is committed to remaining open to the public. Learn more here.

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• Little Italy Pizza (Pottstown, PA): In conjunction with Pottstown Beverage company, Little Italy will provide free lunches to Pottstown Students M-F 11am-2pm. Pick up only. Ask for a school lunch.

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Senior Resources

The Chester County Department of Aging developed this list of resources for local seniors during this time. They also developed this helpful guide to the special hours for seniors only at local grocers and pharmacies: you can find that guide here.

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• ROVER is still transporting folks to the grocery store.  Rider must be registered before booking a trip.  Registration can be completed online here or by calling 484-696-3854. ROVER is working on making buses available as early as 5AM to take seniors to grocery stores/pharmacy during special hours. They are also working to ensure there are no more than 3 riders on the bus at a time to comply with social distancing.

• Meals being provided at Coatesville and Phoenixville Senior centers are for current registered participants only.

• Surrey Devon continues to provide boxed lunches but have a limit to the number they provide daily. They are also continuing to provide home delivered meals (MOW). 

• Meals On Wheels of Chester County is continuing to provide this service.

 

Loans/Debt/Unemployment

• Federal Student Loans: The federal government has announced it will be waiving interest accrued on federal student loans. Details have not been made public yet however, the Department of Education is currently working with loan servicing companies to develop implementation. The Dept. of Education will provide updates. Learn more here.

• PA State Unemployment: PA has made temporary updates to their current Unemployment Benefits policies for those affected by Coronavirus. Learn more here. You may now be eligible for unemployment benefits if:

  • Your employer temporarily closes or goes out of business because of COVID-19.

  • Your employer reduces your hours because of COVID-19.

  • You have been told not to work because your employer feels you might get or spread COVID-19.

  • You have been told to quarantine or self-isolate, or live/work in a county under government-recommended mitigation efforts.

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Click here to access a helpful guide to contacting to learn more about unemployment compensation during this pandemic.

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Other

Wings to Success:  Wings to Success is taking appointments for after March 30th. Please go online to fill out an appointment request form here. They will still be taking calls remotely during business hours. While they will not be serving clients in person, if a participant has an immediate need for clothing that cannot wait until March 30th, contact your DVCCC advocate and they will know what to do!

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Enterprise Rental: Until May 30, 2020, Enterprise is waving their “young renter fee” and reducing the age requirement for rental to 18. The College Student Travel Assistance program is available to students 18-24. It will be valid for rentals of economy-full size cars as well as mini-vans, small pickups and cargo vans. Rentals must be reserved, and all other driver and requirements still apply. Student ID must be presented at time of rental. This program is part of an effort by enterprise to help displaced students return home to family. Learn more here.

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For business/services not listed, it is advised that you check their official website or call customer service.

Numerous false offers have been circulating via social media as scammers make efforts to take advantage of consumers during these difficult times.

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Informational Resource Links

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - the link in the header to the left is a guide to national information about COVID-19/Coronavirus, symptoms, prevention, and far more. Click here for a comprehensive FAQ's section that will clear up any and all misinformation floating around online.

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PA State - the link in the header to the left is a website to track current Pennsylvania-related updates to COVID-19 and Coronavirus. You can use this link to learn more about current PA shutdowns.

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Chester County - using the link in the header to the left, you can access up-to-date information about cases of COVID-19 and Coronavirus here in Chester County. In this link you can access the Chester County Health Department's resource page.

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PCADV - The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic violence provides support and oversight for DVCCC services. They have developed this comprehensive resource guide and overview of current coronavirus best practices for DV organizations.

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The Chester County Community Foundation developed this guide to Frequently Asked Questions from Chester County residents regarding COVID-19/Coronavirus!

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The Chester County Department of Human Services developed this comprehensive guide to local resources in our area - including access to virtual local service offerings, substance treatment programs, support groups, and more!

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There are several pieces of information that can be helpful especially to survivors of abuse, and those who work with and support them. Check out this guide to helping survivors during COVID-19 here (and in Spanish here) as well as this healthcare guide for survivors here (and in Spanish here).

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At-Home Activities to Stay Engaged & Entertained

 

• The Chester County Community Foundation developed this comprehensive guide to local activities and ideas for fun things you can do at home while social distancing! Check it out here.

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• The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District created a guide on their website to various online activities and experiences for kids of all ages - and parents! You can find this guide here.

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• Interested in using this time to learn more about your personal strengths and how you can develop them further? Take the Free Strengths Test from High5 to find out your top 5 personal strengths and ways to grow here!

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• A local teacher developed this extensive guide on Padlet to fun, at-home/virtual activities for kids & families to engage in: it includes virtual tours of museums, e-reading/audiobook resources, free classes of all types, reading/writing/science activities, and even opportunities to get moving and stay active!

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• The Chester County Library System is still available - with several e-reading options available! Read more about how to get a library card virtually and take advantage of these resources today! Also, check out their FREE selection of audiobooks on the Libby App that you can download here!

  • West Chester Public Library is featuring storytimes on their YouTube channel! You can view them here!

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• Kirk's Martial Arts & Krav Maga is hosting online classes with multiple dates still open! Check out those events and access registration links by heading to their Facebook Events page here (you don't need a Facebook account to view).

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Virtual Yoga Resources

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• Several local yoga studios are offering virtual classes for small donations. Among these are The Prana House in West Chester, and their classes can be accessed here, as well as Habitat Yoga in Downingtown, and their calendar of classes can be accessed here!

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• Mental Health Mondays is a weekly, online yoga class offering for adults and children to participate in, together! Learn more about Mental Health Mondays by checking out the event page here!

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• We also have a wide array of adult Youtube yoga classes already accessible in our DVCCC Survivor's Tool Box here, as well as some Children's yoga classes in our DVCCC Children's Resource section here!

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Virtual Meditation Resources

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• In addition to the Calm app, linked through our Survivor's Tool Box, the Calm organization offered this blog page with several free, accessible meditations linked for this current period of social isolation and distancing.

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Some additional meditation apps and websites you can access during this stressful time include:

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The Breathe App

Headspace

10% Happier

Mindful.org Meditations

The Mindful Meditation Podcast

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There are many additional, free guided meditation experiences available to adults, teens, and children on Youtube - simply search "Guided Meditation for ..." and insert children/adults/teens.

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Remember Reading Rainbow?

Levar Burton, the host of Reading Raibow, is back throughout the shutdown, providing LIVE readalong experiences for children, teens, AND adults on his Twitter account on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays!

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