United Way of Northern BC (UWNBC) has disbursed the first round of allocations from the UWNBC COVID-19 Relief Fund.
This assistance is being provided to 25 non-profit agencies or charities across the region, amounting to just over $128,000. The contributions are provided to help the area’s most vulnerable with food supplies and meals, transportation and delivery, personal care, and hygiene items, supports for programs to run considering physical distancing requirements, and resources for supporting the need for isolation. All the allocations were directly related to the response to COVID-19 relief.
To find out which agencies received round 1 funding, please go to https://www.unitedwaynbc.ca/covid19-funded-agencies/
“We are so honoured and grateful to be able to serve the agencies and communities of northern B,C, through the amazing generosity of so many donors,” said Trista Spencer, CEO of the United Way of Northern B.C., in a news release. “The response to the UWNBC COVID-19 Relief Fund has been remarkable. As this first round of allocations shows, it will provide much-needed support to those that, day in and day out, give so much of themselves to provide for our most vulnerable. Our team continues to work to connect resources with the needs across our region, but we truly need to take a moment to celebrate how people and organizations have come together to support each other at this precarious time. Thank you.”
Although the United Way is able to disburse the above amount of funding, it can’t lose sight of the need in the region continuing to grow and change as we move through this crisis, said Spencer.
The total amount of requests the United Way has received to date exceeds the amount of available funding in the UWNBC COVID-19 Relief Fund by almost eight times and is increasing daily. This means that it is not only more critical for gaps in basic needs to be identified to select the services being approved, but far more difficult to determine where to place the funding, she added.
“This vast imbalance in need/funding available means either a significant reduction in what we can provide an agency from what they requested or having to make the further heartbreaking decision to not fund an organization that still truly needs help,” said Spencer.
For this reason, the UWNBC is continuing its outreach and fundraising work to provide communities with further relief at this crucial time.
To learn more about the funding process, please visit https://www.unitedwaynbc.ca/covid19-funded-agencies/
The UWNBC COVID-19 Relief Fund is available through the generosity of people and organizations that live and work in northern BC. Donations from Coastal Gas Link Pipeline, Petronas, Prince Rupert Port Authority, the Prince George Community Foundation, and individuals from all over the northern region were part of this first round of allocations and our sincerest gratitude goes to all those that have supported this fund to make such an incredible impact in so many lives.
For more information or to donate to the United Way of Northern BC’s COVID-19 Relief Fund, visit the website at unitedwaynbc.ca/donate and select the COVID-19 – Fund.