We all know that poverty is hurting our community and undercutting what we stand for. This is even more evident now during this very challenging time of COVID-19 – our most vulnerable community members are even more at risk.

We have seen demand for community services sky rocket since the beginning of the crisis. According to data from 2-1-1, the need for access to food, mental health counselling, and employment supports has nearly doubled.

And that need will continue to climb as we help people get back to work and settle into a new normal.

But we have to look to the future, and what our role will be in our long-term community recovery. The issues we have seen in the last few months, food insecurity, senior isolation, job insecurity, are not new and will continue to need to be addressed long after we settle into our new normal. And that’s where you come in. Your continued support of United Way is crucial to this recovery effort.

This is not the campaign kick-off event we were hoping to have. But this is not a typical year, and this will definitely not be a typical campaign.

Our 2020 Campaign starts now. And while we wish we could be with you in person to kick-off our campaign in our traditional fashion, we hope that we can count on your support this year to help us make these issues truly #unignorable.