From: Doug Otto
Columbus
As reported in last Friday’s Republic, the United Way of Bartholomew County has opened a special fund to assist local people who have been negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Congress (at this writing) is stumbling and bumbling to try to agree on a way and an amount to help those victims. Meanwhile, United Way President Mark Stewart and his board and staff have come up with an innovative way to help those who have become casualties of this abhorrent disease. All money raised by the COVID-19 Fund will be distributed to individuals and families to meet essential needs—housing, food, clothing, and childcare.
As Mark reminds us, 25% of Bartholomew County residents struggle to make ends meet every month. And that’s under the circumstances of a good economy and a generally healthy population. In the coming weeks, maybe months, it’s inevitable that some businesses will have to furlough part of its work force. I’ve seen unemployment predictions of anything from 8% to 20%. Half of our population lives paycheck to paycheck and can’t pay for a $400 unexpected expense. There are people who have always been self-sufficient that will now need help. Some of them might be your friends, neighbors, or co-workers.
Distribution of the United Way COVID-19 will be different than the annual United Way campaign. Money will go through three agencies: Lincoln Central Neighborhood Center, Su Casa, and Sans Souci, whose missions involve basic needs. Approved grants will then go directly to qualified individuals and families as opposed to allocations to certified human service agencies to carry out their respective missions of helping those in need. If one wants to apply for a grant, they should contact one of the three agencies listed above.
Also, grants will be given within days after donations are collected. There will be no waiting until the end of the campaign. These folks need money now!
If you give to United Way annually, that’s great and I appreciate your support of our community. But this is different and has nothing to do with the money that comes out of each paycheck or that you paid up front. I hope you will join Carolyn and me in doing your part in meeting this catastrophic need.
You can contribute by sending a check in the mail or bringing cash in a wheelbarrow to United Way COVIN-19 Fund, 1531 13th St., Columbus 47201. Call 812-376-3001 or go to the United Way website, uwbarthco.org for information.
