In an effort to respond to the increasing needs in Hastings Prince Edward as a result of the COVID-19 virus, United Way HPE, in partnership with Procter & Gamble, Volunteer & Information Quinte, Community Development Council, Belleville Community Trust, among others announce the launch of the COVID-19 Community Response Fund.
Hosted by United Way HPE in partnership with corporations, non-profit entities, and individual donors, the COVID-19 Community Response Fund will allow the organization to rapidly deploy resources to community-based organizations that are offering emergency relief to families and individuals in need.
Brandi Hodge, Executive Director, United Way HPE states, “by joining forces with our corporate partners like Procter & Gamble, we’re able to leverage the resources available and quickly get them into the hands of people who need them the most”.
The fund will be used for a multitude of efforts including:
•Supporting the provision of basic needs such as food and supplies to community members, primarily through the provision of funding and product to agencies who already have the infrastructure in place for distribution such as, but not limited to, food banks.
•Supporting the provision of basic needs through volunteerism to assist agencies and organizations providing ser-vices to community members•Operational funding gaps for health and human service agencies so they can continue to provide the supports that are vital to the resilience of community members through these times
•Support longer term needs such as providing additional funding to emergency financial assistance programs to assist with the prevention of utility disconnections and evictions; as self-isolation and provincial mandates demand the closures of business we are going to see a tremendous number of individuals and families in financial crisis. United Way HPE and its partners are asking the community to join forces:
•make a financial contribution through the COVID-19 Community Response Fund https://unitedwayhpe.ca/covid-19-community-response
•If corporations and businesses have products that they can donate, in larger quantities, please contact Melanie Cressman at mcressman@unitedwayhpe.ca and United Way HPE will facilitate the exchange of supplies to the agencies and programs that need them
For more than 60 years, United Way Hastings & Prince Edward has been committed to serving its community. “This partnership has formed in direct response to the challenging times we are currently in” says Hodge “like always, our community looks after each other—this is no different—the reality is that many people are unable to weather this storm without help. We’re asking everyone to be part of the solution in whatever way they can”.
United Way Hastings & Prince Edward United Way Hastings & Prince Edward provides leadership in a collaborative manner with our Funded Agencies and others to increase the capacity of our community to respond to human services needs. We support 1 in 4 people in our local community through the 44 agencies and over 65 programs we support.
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