Nepperhan Community Center uses pandemic to flip the script on how it provides services

Community centers across the Hudson Valley that serve underserved communities have been hit hard by the coronavirus.

News 12 Staff

Apr 22, 2020, 9:35 PM

Updated 1,739 days ago

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Community centers across the Hudson Valley that serve underserved communities have been hit hard by the coronavirus.
The Nepperhan Community Center is using the pandemic to flip the script on how it provides services.
During normal times - and at all times of the day - the center is bustling with activity. After COVID-19 surfaced in Westchester, executive director Jim Bostic had to close the Yonkers center down.
He says shutting down has been the hardest decision he has had to make since he's been there.
Some programs that serve thousands every day have now been put on hold.
"It's been traumatic because we have seniors that come here, and it's been their way of getting out of the house," he says,
Bostic says because of the coronavirus, they are adapting to the new norms.

Seniors are now having their meals delivered, and students who used to come after school are meeting their teachers online.
"We've gone to virtual instruction, virtual activities, distance learning," he says.
Bostic believes that being socially connected to his community has never been more important.
He says he looks forward to opening his doors, but says he knows things will be different, including more social distancing and other safety protocols. Until then, he is asking his community to be positive and hopeful.
"This is a time you have to fall back on your faith and what you really believe," he says.
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