United Way COVID-19 Response Browse Random ideas

Daughter tested positive. Husband called work, took time off. Two negative tests for him. Mandatory quarantine did not start until the day after daughter cleared. One whole month without work.

We are confronted with failing support systems for people with impairments and underlying medical conditions during COVID. Homecare and support staff earn low wages making it difficult to own a vehicle. Many are reliant upon public transportation and/or other means of transport. Workers could unknowingly transmit the virus to someone physically impaired. This appears to be a complicated web of socio-economic and medical... more »

Immigrant communities of color have been particularly hard-hit by Covid-19 because these immigrants often have low-paying jobs where social distancing is impossible and they cannot afford not to work. Sadly, these immigrants face deeper risk under the federal government's new "public charge" immigration rule that went into effect in late February as the virus began to spread. The public charge rule has left many immigrants... more »

One of my staff members recently shared a story with me of one of our program participants that was in active labor and sitting in the Emergency Room for hours before being admitted to labor and delivery. She was approximately 24 weeks pregnant and unfortunately prematurely delivered and lost twins. Mom went to the ER with complaints of not feeling well and a fever. She explained that she was pregnant and provided her... more »

Many of our volunteers are seniors who are the most vulnerable segment of our society. In our Meals On Wheels program, both the clients and the volunteers were threatened by increased exposure to the virus.

We put out a call for more volunteers and redesigned our delivery system to keep the daily deliveries going.

We have dozens of other volunteer programs that had to be scaled-down or canceled altogher.

Due to COVID-19 many African countries are in partial or full lockdown. Because of the lockdown situation, agricultural products can't get from the farm to market centers. Additionally, traditional markets have been closed for sanitation purposes and because social distancing could not be adequately enforced. The unintended consequence is that the majority of the population are unable to access agricultural products and... more »

School district plans for back to school can be very complex and will change as situations develop in our communities. Support is needed for families who do not speak English as a first language, to ensure they can read plans and ask questions in their native language. Especially those who have school-aged children can experience significant challenges in working during the day when school plans include hybrid or distance... more »

People complain about not being able to breathe with a mask on and demand an exception be made, which happens too often in my estimation.

.Google Translation:
"You cannot work in essential places where you do not know in what working conditions we work. Fast food! Psychologically, you are afraid of infecting yourself and your family members for a minimum wage. The government tells you to stay home and the EDD denies you aid if you make more than $ 100 per week. As if your expenses were $ 400 per week. President Trump's executive law is ridiculous and inhumane.... more »

I have friends who do gig work and they do not know how to access unemployment or government benefits.

The CoVid Pandemic continues to wreck the fundraising, event planning and fiscal goals for many nonprofits. However, nonprofits are continuing to experience increased needs from clients due to ongoing unemployment, uncertain school schedules, lack of food, lack of mental health support, lack of social connection, limited rental assistance and more.

Annual Gala's and local events(concerts, dinners, lunches, art and 5k... more »

The United States has an infamously disjointed election system with each state, county, and even sometimes individual cities having different election processes. As we continue to face down this pandemic, election day nears ever closer and we need to act decisively, and at a large scale, to help voters register for absentee or vote-by-mail (VBM) ballots and understand how they work. Countless studies have shown that voting... more »

Adults who are unfamiliar with, or lack access to, technology are not able to connect with many safety net and supportive services. Many individuals are motivated to learn, but cannot connect with help, because they do not know how to engage with computers, or lack access to the internet.

Individuals with vision impairment cannot connect with resources via technology, as their in-person help is limited due to pandemic... more »

From a friend in Denver:
All our Denver libraries are closed and I even saw police tap around the drop box to return books. I'm usually a library gal when it comes to reading materials, but am fortunate that I could place an order for a few books this weekend off amazon. What's being done to safely promote free access to books and learning materials? I got an email today from a small town library I was part of once and... more »

I sneeze wearing masks that touch my nose. Anything that rubs lightly against the tip or sits hard on the bridge makes my nose run and I sneeze. Other than having to wear contacts instead of glasses or having to buy big sunglasses, that avoid mostly sitting on your nose bridge, this has never been an issue in my life.

I would like to think that people would be accommodating to those wearing no mask (or mask alternatives)... more »