United Way’s COVID-19 Response
When COVID-19 hit Lane County, our staff were on calls with local nonprofit partners—listening to how they were impacted and determining how to respond. We promptly launched our COVID-19 Community Response Fund (and subsequent Respond, Recover, Reimagine Fund and Summer Food Grants); allowed funded partners to use existing grants flexibly for urgent needs; and began collaborating with key partners to mobilize volunteers and additional resources. Unwavering from our vision for kids’ success, we knew how urgently we needed to focus on the basic foundation for that success— safety and stability amidst this health and economic crisis.
Between 2020-2022, United Way invested
$1,510,500
in COVID-19 grants to over
110
programs and initiatives througout Lane County providing
In our grant-making process, we prioritized organizations serving and led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and communities in rural areas and or navigating poverty
Additionally,
144
volunteers mobilized to fill
133
urgent nonprofit needs through the Lane Emergency Response Network, a text-alert system to fill local needs, in collaboration with 15th Night, Lane County, White Bird Clinic and others
“We applaud United Way for the agency’s ability to define a need and to respond very quickly, with a minimum of red tape, and with an understanding of the need to prioritize immigrants and other under-served groups.”
You can read more stories about our COVID-19 response efforts here, watch video updates from our CEO during the pandemic, and find more impact in our 2019 and 2020 annual reports.
Thank you.
United Way was built for challenges like these. Our response was possible because of donations from generous donations from like you. Thank you.
Contributions to United Way’s ongoing work ensuring kids and families thrive is still crucial. If you’d like to support our larger efforts to create a community where every child succeeds in school, you can donate online at www.unitedwaylane.org/donate, mail a check to United Way of Lane County at 3171 Gateway Loop, Springfield, OR 97477, or call 541-741-6000. Thank you.