United Way of Porter County sends more than $1.5M into community to combat pandemic

The United Way of Porter County has sent more than $1.5 million into the community to aid people and organizations combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

That is the estimate provided by the organization since the outbreak began in early March and brought the economy to a halt. The past several months people have turned to an assortment of organizations for everything from food to money to help pay for living expenses.

“This year, we have tripled our efforts to keep up with the demand for assistance due to COVID’s impact,” said Kim Olesker, president and CEO of United Way of Porter County. “We’re here to help residents find the support they need, especially in times of disaster.”

The United Way of Porter County annually supports groups who assist more than 69,000 Northwest Indiana residents but the pandemic has fueled increased demand.

Some of the pandemic-related efforts of the United Way of Porter County include:

• Connecting more than 19,100 residents to financial and food resources, many of which never needed them before.
• Providing more than 24,300 masks and other protection equipment to first responders, healthcare workers and frontline employees to keep them safe while serving.
• Mobilizing more than 670 volunteers to support relief efforts from home, work or at area nonprofits.

“United Way (of Porter County) has been a key component in assisting with filling gaps,” said Lance Bella, director of Porter County Emergency Management Agency. “They have greatly assisted us in our ability to provide PPE to emergency services personnel and more (and) I truly value their contribution and look forward to our continued partnership together.”

Between March 6 and Oct. 26 there have been 166,564 positive COVID-19 cases in Indiana, according to the state’s website dedicated to the pandemic. A total of 3,958 people have died in Indiana from the disease since March 15.

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Larry Avila

Larry is an award-winning journalist with more than 25 years of experience working with daily newspapers and business-to-business publications around the Midwest. Avila is a Michigan native and a graduate of Central Michigan University.

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