The COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting residents living in Ward 8 — a neighborhood in Washington, D.C. with a poverty rate double that of residents throughout the District.
Home to a predominantly Black population, its residents comprise 11% of The District’s total population yet have accounted for 20% of total COVID-19 deaths in Washington, D.C.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has really magnified the disparities that exist racially, economically and socially within our communities,” says Rashaan Bernard, President of Building Bridges Across the River (BBAR), a nonprofit serving the Anacostia community.
Bernard set out to develop long-term strategies with other nonprofit organizations and corporate partners including Capital One to assist residents east of the Anacostia river.
Through that collective commitment, the Town Hall Education Arts and Recreation Campus (THEARC) became an epicenter for human services — providing residents with nutritious food, healthcare and financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 110,000 square foot campus hosts 14 nonprofit organizations committed to assisting communities east of the river.
Bernard initially supported Ward 8 residents by partnering with local organizations to help THEARC distribute more than 40,000 healthy meals.
Those efforts quickly evolved into providing a litany of resources and necessities.
“We pivoted from solely being a food hub to serving as an overall humanitarian hub after realizing that many residents couldn’t access or afford to purchase household items, toiletries or personal protective equipment,” Bernard said.
Navigating mental health during the pandemic — Children’s National at THEARC
One such area of expanded support included the addition of health and wellness programs at Children’s National at THEARC — a health center that supports children from birth through young adulthood.
Dr. Alsan J. Bellard, Medical Director at the Children’s Health Center at THEARC, set out to help remedy the COVID-19 pandemic’s toll on the mental health of teenagers facing a major disruption in their social lives and academic pursuits.
Through funding from Capital One, Children’s National launched new programs geared toward supporting mental health for youth in Ward 8 — including free appointments with a psychiatrist or psychologist and meditation sessions.
“The work that Capital One has done with us has been phenomenal,” Bellard said. “The funding that they provided us with has helped support new programs and allowed us to hire additional staff to make crucially needed services available to the community’s youth.”
In addition to assisting community partners in Ward 8 like Children’s National, Capital One is expanding its support to neighborhood residents with the opening of a Capital One Café at the historic Anacostia MLK Gateway project, which is set to open in 2021.
Capital One strives to support growth in underserved communities and advance socioeconomic mobility through the Capital One Impact Initiative — an initial $200 million, multi-year commitment to close gaps in equity.
Launched in October 2020, the Capital One Impact Initiative seeks to create a world where everyone has an equal opportunity to prosper through advocating for an inclusive society, building thriving communities and creating financial tools that enrich lives.
“Capital One is proud to support Children’s National at THEARC and its mission to ensure that individuals who have been directly affected by the pandemic are equipped with mental health resources during these unprecedented times,” says Kathleen Malloy, Senior Vice President and Mid-Atlantic Region Market Manager for Capital One’s Not-For-Profit Banking Group.
