Articles in the Basic Needs Category
This post was written by Anisa J. Khaleel, Community Outreach Specialist/AmeriCorps at WithinReach
For over two decades, WithinReach, a statewide non-profit, has helped Washington families take steps towards healthier lives by connecting them with health and food resources while promoting health education and disease prevention among vulnerable populations. Two years ago WithinReach partnered with the United Way of King County to build the Bridge to Basics program – a volunteer effort that trains community members in public benefits eligibility and places them…
The Seattle-King County Asset Building Collaborative will be having their annual Financial Fitness day on March 31st. They have joined with over 40 community partners to be able to bring community members FREE financial services. These services include everything from one-on-one help filling out a tax return, printing and analyzing free credit reports, opening bank accounts, creating a household budget, working with a financial planner, applying for public benefits (food, utilities, child care, health insurance, social security), learning how to start a business, shredding…
A little over a month ago, me and my co-AmeriCorps VISTA, Katherine, visited Providence Regina House food bank near White Center to supervise our Bridge to Basics volunteers, talk to food bank clients, and get those in need in touch with public benefits such as food stamps. It was their annual Thanksgiving distribution and they were busy making sure clients were set up with enough potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry to celebrate the holiday with their families. Turkeys were in high demand and not…
This blog was prepared by United Way Worldwide for its member organizations
In the budget that has been approved by Congress, and is expected to be signed by President Obama, we are pleased to share that the majority of programs that United Way has prioritized have stayed intact or even increased in funding. Given the conomic and political landscape, this is good news. Please see below for highlights of FY2012 program funding in our building block areas. Note: There is an additional 0.189 percent across…
Last week United Way of King County was thrilled to host two special volunteer events, organized in partnership with the City of Seattle PeoplePoint program and our very own Bridge to Basics program. Together we put on two volunteer phone banking nights to call clients who had applied for City of Seattle benefits but were still missing key information from their applications after an initial letter from the City. Without completing all the information on the applications, these clients couldn’t be considered for important City…
Meet United Way of King County’s newest pool of mini-grantees! These organizations are on the front lines of community efforts to end hunger in King County and we are proud to support their work.
The Rainier Valley Eats! Coalition (RaVE), a community coalition developed under the leadership of Seattle Tilth, Community Kitchens Northwest, King County Public Health and the United Way of King County, works to reduce food insecurity and promote good nutrition in low-income populations in the Rainier Valley. As part of…
Yesterday the New York Times reported a surge in the number of kids receiving free or low cost meals. Nationally an astonishing 52% of 4th graders are receiving subsidized meals. In some King County school districts, more than 70% of kids are eligible for these programs.
For the past 10 years, tax volunteers have chosen to spend the cold winter days nestled at tax sites preparing tax returns in lieu of a fireplace and hot chocolate. Last year alone 650 volunteers prepared 13,320 tax returns that helped bring back $19.7 million in federal refunds to our community. To celebrate our current tax volunteers and inspire future volunteers here are some (hopefully) compelling reasons to join our team.
10. You provide an invaluable direct service to members of your community
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Veterans Day is a bit of an anomaly of a holiday. Unlike its fellow Federal Holidays, Presidents Day and Columbus Day, that recognize people who have made important contributions to our country, Veterans Day is unique in that many of those being honored are still alive, and virtually all of us have some connection to them. That’s pretty neat if you think about it. Maybe it’s your uncle who served in Vietnam, or your little sister stationed overseas, or a parent of a…
Unique recession has led to extended shortfalls in revenue
This recession is unique among recent recessions in the overall loss of jobs and revenue as well as the depth of the loss making the recovery not a swift recovery back to “normal” but an extended period of high unemployment, rising costs of goods, high foreclosure rate and overall lack of consumer confidence. To illustrate, Washington has lost 195,000 jobs since the beginning of the recession and regained only 62,000.
The combination of deficits in anticipated…
