In March, everything changed.
The COVID-19 pandemic jumped out of the headlines and into Alabama’s communities, forever impacting the lives of countless individuals. Businesses were closed temporarily — or, in some cases, permanently — and unemployment numbers hit new highs, leading to unprecedented need across our community.
To say it’s been a rough few months is an understatement. For many, this has been a life-defining time period, full of the most difficult challenges they’ve ever contended with. But in the face of adversity, hope changes everything.
Hope lifts us up when we’re down and inspires us to help one another. Hope gives us confidence that problems will be solved and tomorrow will be better day.
Thanks to support from our wide community of donors, volunteers, partner agencies and programs, United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) is making hope happen in a meaningful way for those who need it most. Take a look at how we’ve fought for our community since the onset of the pandemic:
- 2-1-1 received 37,101 calls and handled 52,752 requests statewide, connecting people with vital resources, such as utility assistance, food banks and veteran services.
- Meals on Wheels provided more than 144,700 meals to high-risk seniors, as well as more than 12,605 shelf stable meals to ensure they wouldn’t go hungry even in the event of a delivery disruption.
- The Community Crisis Fund awarded grants totaling more than $538,800 to support the work of 90 nonprofit agencies.
- UWCA and several partners joined forces to operate the USDA Farmers to Families program, which provides fresh, healthy foods to vulnerable populations. Since its implementation in early July, the program has distributed close to 16,000 pounds of food throughout Central Alabama.
While the full impact of the coronavirus crisis remains to be seen, one thing is clear: our community remains committed to hope. UWCA is proud to play a role in helping our neighbors, friends and families through these unprecedented times…and your support makes that possible. Because of you, hope happens.
LIVE UNITED
To learn more about how to support United Way of Central Alabama, click here.