United Way of the Bay Area Blog
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United Way’s SparkPoint Solano Center celebrated its one-year anniversary yesterday. That’s one year of helping local residents achieve economic stability through financial coaching, credit counseling, and job skills development. The anniversary gathering was extra special because of the food. Laray Thompson and Claudia Sanchez, both SparkPoint clients, handled the catering thanks to skills they learned [...]
“I’m hella oppressed and I feel it every day. The fact that I’m black, from Bayview, and I’m young. I feel it like fire under my feet. Poverty – it hurts. To knock on people’s doors and still have no job. To be without toilet paper. I have to find a way to take care [...]
Spring is nearly here! It’s the time of year when many garages and basements are cleaned up and cleared out. Bay Area residents who are spring cleaning are encouraged to call 211 to donate clothing or household items to help those in need. Donated items should be clean and in good, working order. 211’s Information [...]
Unfortunately, thousands of low-income taxpayers are not taking advantage of our free, expert tax preparation. We’re urging these families to hold onto the money that they have worked so hard to earn and come into one of our 200 Bay Area sites where they can also connect with dozens of asset-building resources.” – Kelly Batson, [...]
Summer is months away, but in the down economy, summer jobs are a scarcity, and young people need to start looking now to get hired. At-risk youth are often the last to apply, waiting until school is almost out to start their search. That is why United Way seized the opportunity to lead the Bay Area [...]
When most people think of losing weight, they think about going on a diet and getting more exercise. But when Solano County resident Etta Foster and her two daughters lost about 20 pounds each, they were on a very different diet – one of hunger. Last year, Etta had to quit her job to take [...]
Our 2010-11 Annual Report is now available. You can download a read the entire report here. If you prefer the executive summary, here is the report’s opening letter from United Way of the Bay Area Board Chair Beth Cobert and CEO Anne Wilson. Dear Friends, It has been a tough year: poverty numbers are growing, unemployment is up, [...]
So many of the crises we hear about in this economy are about people who have lost their jobs. For most, unemployment benefits – though limited – provide some relief while they look for new work. But for the self-employed, there is no such safety net, and when work dries up, there aren’t a lot [...]
United Way’s “bundled” services aren’t about keeping warm for the winter. They’re about providing integrated programs to help struggling Bay Area residents address their complete financial picture and achieve financial stability. Our Earn It! Keep It! Save It! free tax preparation service is often a gateway to those bundled services. Low-income residents come in to [...]
Here is a story about one of our 211 callers, as told by Daphne, a 211 call center specialist at United Way of the Bay Area. Darla, a San Mateo County school-district worker, knows what it’s like to have her finances fall apart because of illness. When her father had open heart surgery, she had to [...]
