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Foundation
Safety Net
Our United Way remains grateful to the three local foundations that
continue to provide funding for repair and replacement of furnaces
as well as emergency energy assistance for people who just miss
eligibility for government sponsored programs.
Single parent families with marginal income and elderly residents
with limited, fixed income are the most common beneficiaries of this
life-saving program. In most situations, the circumstances are dire
and placement of an elderly persons or young children outside the
home is imminent. As the need for this program has escalated, it has
further been augmented by the
Gift of Warmth program.
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Emergency Food and Shelter Program
For more than 25 years, our United Way has served as the local
administrator for the FEMA program which provides funds to
supplement and extend current available resources for emergency
needs including rent, food and energy assistance. During the past
year the local Emergency Food and Shelter Board—chaired by the
United Way— awarded $149,554 in federal funds to
ten local organizations.
As part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act,
Lackawanna County also received additional funds to supplement this
program in the amount of $69,455. These federal stimulus funds were
awarded to eight local organizations.
State
Food Purchase
Program
As local administrator of the State Food Purchase Program, the
United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties leveraged $310,914 in grant monies
from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture.
These monies were awarded to 15 local organizations
to assist area families with emergency food needs.
Individual
Emergency Plans
For nearly 30 years, the United Way of Lackawanna
and Wayne Counties has managed a separate
fund to provide assistance during individual emergencies above and
beyond what can be funded through federal and state dollars. This
provision ultimately allows for a safety net to ensure our most
vulnerable residents receive help during times of dire need. To date
the United Way has provided 43 such plans to meet emergent
needs such as food, shelter, prescription medication and other
essential assistance. |
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