It’s been approximately 3 1/2 months since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global health emergency. During that time we — as individuals, communities, and organizations — have learned many lessons.
There is no doubt that this crisis has further exposed the divides that poverty and inequality create and it has also revealed what works.
Here at United Way, we've seen our own organizational infrastructure tested and how it has allowed us to expand our natural capacity to collaborate, literally overnight. The truth is that your support is what allowed us to respond in such a confident and immediate way, so thank you.
From the onset, we’ve worked with our community and local governments to mobilize people and partnerships in 3 crucial ways:
- Connecting people to critical information and services through our 24/7 2-1-1 call center
- Connecting people to ways they could support relief efforts through our volunteer center, and creating completely new systems to collect and distribute mass quantities of in-kind donation
- Creating systems for coordination and collaboration among nonprofits, grassroots groups, parents and our schools so that we can all ensure that students and families are supported at this time
Throughout this crisis, the one constant we’ve seen is this community’s steadfast commitment to supporting each other. It’s been truly awe-inspiring. One of those ways has taken the form of in-kind donations.
In this week’s Vlog our CEO, Dan Leroy, recognizes and highlights some of the local businesses, including Jeff Slosman and National Wiper Alliance, that have been sustaining our community through in-kind donations.
Check it out the four featured companies here:
YOUR NEXT STEPS:
Make an in-kind donation. Businesses or individuals with the ability to provide supplies should fill out this form. Once complete, United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County will match donations to a community organization currently dispensing these critical supplies throughout our community.
