THE Cage Youth Foundation has kept their contact lines open and moved some community programs to digital platforms as they come to terms with COVID-19 restrictions.
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Ms Grieve said they had been forced to postpone one of their biggest fundraisers, a masquerade party scheduled for March, after limits on social gatherings were introduced.
However the crisis had not affected the charity's social enterprise business, with lawn mowing, graffiti removal and other services making up the majority of their income.
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"Donations are way down. We have put forward a submission for JobSeeker to keep our staff engaged," Ms Grieve said.
"Currently we are still paying them, keeping them all on and doing what we can do.
"They (donations) were down even before Christmas with all fires and the floods. We noticed a big downturn with that.
"We have got some good support and obviously with our social enterprise, which brings in the majority of our income, that has still been functioning.
"Like every other charity we have to be smart with our money and do what we can to make it work."
Ms Grieve said staff were using video conferencing software such as Zoom and FaceTime to engage with the community.
"We have got our councillors all working online, talking to any clients that need extra support," she said.
"Our contact lines are still open so people can reach us if they need support.
"We are also linking in with other agencies and local business who want to help people.
"We are taking each day as it comes and just working our way through the journey and still trying to help and support the community in any way we can."
The Cage does not give away money but is known for donating food to families in need.
They have teamed up with Cleveland restaurant Zyka's Kitchen, who have offered to make extra meals and donate them to those doing it tough.
"A lot of people are needing a little bit of extra support in regards to finances," Ms Grieve said.
"Zyka's at Cleveland have contacted us to ask whether we have got any families in need.
"We are going to be contacting them and directing a few families to them so they can organise some meals."
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