LINCOLN, Ill. (WAND) - Dozens of people living in Lincoln are getting a heartfelt thank you after residents stepped up to help those left unemployed because of COVID-19. 
 
"I am very humbled, very humbled," Robin Barton, who received a $100 donation said. "The support in this town is amazing. People care how you are doing."
 
Statewide, more than 560,000 people have filed for unemployment. Barton is one of those, but she has yet to get any money. As a hair stylist and nail technician, she was left without work under Governor Pritzker's stay at home order. The donation Barton received was provided by Lincoln Mayor Seth Goodman. 
 
"It has been a breath of fresh air for a lot of people," Goodman said.
 
The first-term mayor started his giveaway about two-weeks ago. In that time, some 60-plus people donated between $10,000 and $15,000 in monetary donations. 
 
"To give them some bit of help and encouragement in these hard times is really great to see," he said.
 
A number of donations have come from people who themselves are unemployed. 
 
"People really care about other people," Barton said. "They care about others who have small businesses. They care so much about other people. It is just overwhelming." 
 
"It is great to see people in the community are supporting one another," Goodman said. "There are obviously some of us who are still employed, and then there are those that aren't and they are limited in what they can do and have a hard time paying their bills so it is great to see the community step up to help them." 
 
Donors can pick who they want the money to go to, otherwise recipients are picked at random. To get involved, community members are encouraged to contact Mayor Goodman.Â