From the United Way Alberta Northwest Facebook page

By Curtis Galbraith

COVID-19

New fund started by United Way Alberta Northwest meant to help seniors, kids

Apr 2, 2020 | 2:33 PM

United Way Alberta Northwest has started a fund to, as it says in a Facebook post, “get dollars where they are needed the most.”

It has come up with an initiative called the Community Response Fund.

Executive Director Jamie Craig says this involves not just monetary support, but working with other organizations on ways to collaborate

She adds the first thing they are doing is having organizations funded by United Way “identify some of their high-needs clients.”

“These might be individuals who are low income, who are self-quarantined, who may have to quarantine because they’re compromised.”

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“One of the biggest organizations we work with is Seniors Outreach. What they’re doing is sending clients our way who need one or two things.”

Craig says those needs can include buying and delivering groceries, or just the delivery part. Partnerships have been formed with both Grande Prairie Co-op locations. Groceries are delivered by volunteers. She adds Seniors Outreach has 7,000 clients across the Peace.

Craig says they are also helping another senior pay rent and are working with the school districts on subsidized meals for kids that use snack and lunch programs.

She adds this is a new fund because other funding has already been given out.

“Normally, United Way, our mandate is to direct donor dollars where they’re needed most. Unfortunately, United Way isn’t in a position to donate additional dollars upwards to what we’ve already donated because we’ve just finished allocations.”

Craig says a future worry for her organization as a result of the pandemic is that 75 per cent of the organization’s donations come from payroll deductions and a lot of people are not working right now.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty you know, and it’s not even just that it’s (that) some people might want to hang on to those donations right now until they know what’s going to happen. We’re going to do everything we can to fight through this and United Way is going to do everything it can to make sure that the community’s needs are still met.”

The federal government has announced it is giving $9-million to United Way chapters across Canada to meal programs and health checks on seniors. Craig says her group is in line for some of that but doesn’t know how much or when it will arrive.

Craig says there has a great response from the community and volunteers so far to the Community Response Fund. Donations can be made through the United Way Alberta Northwest Facebook page or its web site.

Craig adds that so far, they’ve been able to help everyone who has reached out to the. Anyone who knows someone who needs help can send an email to the United Way office in Grande Prairie at info@unitedwayabnw.org