In mid-March, the staff and volunteers at United Way of Weld County (UWWC) were preparing to put the finishing touches on the Live United Puttin’ on the Ritz celebration scheduled for the end of the month.
But that all quickly changed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We were forced to change our event to still pay tribute to our supporters in a virtual way, and our auction was still held online. We sincerely thank all the bidders who made the auction a success, still raising $28,000.
Angel Flores, a pastor at Mosaic Church in Evans and a fellow board member at UWWC, said at our March board meeting that we’re living in unprecedented times. He was spot on.
In these uncertain times when Weld County residents are in need now more than ever, I am so proud of how your United Way has responded to this crisis and the impact on our communities most vulnerable children, youth, families and older adults.
The UWWC staff, volunteers, community partners and donors have answered the bell and stepped up to the challenge of helping our neighbors in need. We’ve been open for business and our staff and volunteers have been working harder than ever despite the challenges of COVID-19. The majority of our staff have limited their access to our office, but thanks to technology, they have been safely working remotely either a portion or all of their time.
Our communication with staff, board of directors, volunteers and community organization partners continue as “usual” through Zoom meetings, trainings and program delivery, and the office at 814 9th St., downtown Greeley, is open from 1-4 p.m. Monday through Friday to accept in-kind and financial donations at the south entrance.
COVID-19 hasn’t stopped your United Way from meeting the needs of our county. Here are some examples of the things UWWC has, and continues to do, since the middle of March when the crisis began:
- UWWC’s Promises for Children staff have delivered 11,000 diapers, 150 cans of formula and 375 packs of wipes to 388 families in Weld County. Ninety-nine packages have gone out to child care providers expressing needs, and 276 cloth masks have been given out to home providers.
- Over 1,000 calls were taken via UWWC’s 2-1-1 Colorado just from Weld County residents in need during this pandemic with rental assistance, food/meals and utility assistance being the highest needs.
- UWWC’s Housing Navigation Center (HNC), Catholic Charities and the North Colorado Health Alliance teamed up to provide a 24-hour emergency shelter in response to the Governor’s Stay-at-Home Order.
- We’ve collected and distributed over $40,435 worth of in-kind supplies such as handmade cloth masks, diapers, wipes, snacks, cleaning supplies and more.
- UWWC partnered with the Weld Community Foundation and helped raise $254,378 for the Weld Recovers Fund: COVID-19 Relief, and have distributed these funds to 23 Weld nonprofits in need to help support populations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Thanks to a sponsorship from JBS USA, UWWC is running a campaign called Mask Up 4 Weld to advocate for everyone in Weld County to wear a homemade mask to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.
We continue to serve our donors and Weld County residents in need of our help and assistance. We continue to meet our goals and objectives and to coordinate and collaborate for greater effectiveness and efficiency. I am proud of your United Way of Weld County, and feel blessed to be part of this team of incredible individuals.
In order to continue to do the work we do, we cannot do it alone. Please consider volunteering or donating to UWWC. Call us at (970) 353-4300 or go to unitedway-weld.org for more information.
Randy Watkins is the chairman of the board of directors for United Way of Weld County.
