The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) preserves and promotes the civil, human and linguistic rights of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in the United States and U.S. territories. Resources include videos in American Sign Language (ASL) on a wide range of topics, a list of universities and education resources by state, webinars and more for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, their families and friends.

All children have unique needs in emergencies, but care for children with special healthcare needs is often more complex because of their various health conditions and extra care requirements. They may have a hard time moving from one place to another, urgent or constant medical needs, difficulty communicating or have trouble with transitioning to different situations. A disaster can present all these difficulties at once.

The CDC’s Children and Youth With Special Healthcare Needs in Emergencies page provides tips for creating an emergency kit and practicing an emergency care plan to help children stay safe and feel calm during an emergency. It also includes tips on involving your child’s healthcare provider and local emergency services in your planning.

Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital offers general information on COVID-19 to help families. Information includes information about vaccines, a list of recommended resources, frequently asked questions and recent news articles related to COVID-19.

The MPHI Center for Precision Public Health provides educational opportunities for clinicians, public health professionals, community organizations and families. The center focuses on improving the health and well-being of all through research, supporting data-driven initiatives, facilitating community-led program development, and providing technical assistance.

MPHI also provides free CME and CE Modules for families and professionals. Topics include:

• Improving care for developmental disabilities and dysmorphic features
• Patient-centered newborn screening communication
• Decoding genetic test reports for frontline clinicians

The Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules (AFIRM) Timely Toolkits are designed to support autistic individuals, their caregivers, and related professionals as they navigate through specific global and/or local events that may disrupt or impact routines.

The Timely Toolkits include:

• Supporting Individuals With Autism Through Uncertain Times
• Supporting Adults With Autism Through  Uncertain Times Companion Guide
• Supporting Online Learning for Students With Autism
• Resources for Autistic Individuals and Their Families Impacted by War and Displacement
• Talking About Gun Violence With Autistic Individuals

People’s Resource Center (PRC) serves DuPage County residents. It offers a food pantry, computer access, financial assistance, an art program, a clothes closet and more. Residents need to register to receive services.

Download the PRC flyer for a list of locations, services and times for:

• The food pantry
• The clothes closet
• Empowerment services
• Social services

 

The Northern Illinois Food Bank delivers food and healthy eating services across 13 counties (Boone, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Will and Winnebago counties). The Northern Illinois Food Bank provides weekly drive-thru Mobile Markets with free and fresh groceries, an online food pantry, a recipes and nutrition hub, and free economic mobility learning resources.

Northeast Community Fund helps families in the Decatur and Macon County community with food, clothing, household goods and funding for utility payments, obtaining IDs, baby formula and wipes, emergency lodging and prescription medicines. The organization’s food pantry provides monthly food baskets to those in need. It also operates a microfinance program and a program for families to work with a staff member and a mentor to achieve short- and long-term goals towards self-sufficiency.

The Good Samaritan Inn provides meals to all those who need them, no questions asked. Meals are served seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Its programs also include Mercy Gardens and Mercy Market from June through October.

Good Samaritan Inn is located at 920 North Union St. in Decatur.

For more information, call (217) 429-1455.

The Feeding America nationwide network of food banks and food programs helps millions of people find food and grocery help in their communities every year. Connect with your local food bank to learn about upcoming free food distributions and to apply for national food programs.

You can also visit Feeding Illinois for more information about Illinois food banks.