Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1332040
2 0 P E R S P E C T I V E | J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 isolating at home. The new website IATSECARES .org is the place to go to seek help or to volunteer to help others. In Los Angeles, the locals worked with Labor Community Services (LCS) to arrange for several IATSE-specifi c food distribution events. Members in the area were able to drive through the West Coast offi ce and have boxes of groceries placed into their trunk. LCS held additional food distributions throughout the community, 78 at last count, providing sustenance to hundreds of thousands of people in the area. As a charity dedicated to "lifting workers back up," LCS also provides fi nancial assistance for rent and utility payments. The need experienced by people during this crisis isn't just fi nancial. The emotional and mental toll has been extreme. The Behind the Scenes Foundation has put a spotlight on this issue with their Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative. On their website, btshelp.org, is information about suicide prevention, fi nding a therapist who understands the entertainment industry, and even an industry-centric peer-to-peer chat app called Be SceneBe Heard. Most importantly, know that they, and others, are there to help. If you fi nd yourself in a moment of crisis, please reach out. None of these eff orts would be possible without those who are able giving their support to the organizations mentioned above. In this time of COVID, charitable giving is way down and yet the need for these services continues to grow. If you are fortunate to be back at work, consider making a contribution to help those who haven't been as lucky yet. You might even consider making a recurring donation or setting a goal of giving some amount of each check to a diff erent one of these groups. If you cannot contribute fi nancially, reach out and see what opportunities there might be to volunteer. They truly have seen the need and moved mountains in their attempts to meet it. Now they need all of us to help them continue to do so.