COLUMBUS, Ind. — The United Way of Bartholomew County has raised a total of $613,574 for its COVID-19 Relief Fund launched 13 months ago. With that money, it has helped 4,549 people amid the pandemic, with many getting financial help within a few days of their request.
The bulk of people at 2,041 received food assistance.
Those are among the overarching statistics in the United Way’s recently released online annual report. For the second straight year, the nonprofit that reaches nearly a third of Bartholomew County’s 83,000 residents was forced to forgo its in-person annual meeting because of the novel coronavirus.
United Way earlier announced its success of exceeding its campaign goal of $4 million.
In a taped message presented on the agency’s YouTube.com channel, United Way President Mark Stewart acknowledged that adversity was readily apparent for many residents who lost jobs or their health for a time.
“Many of those helped never needed to ask for assistance before,” Stewart said.
For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.
