For hundreds of thousands of callers each year, 211 is a vital lifeline connecting them to important services like food, housing and health care. Now you can learn more about how this service works, and help people in the process. We are currently recruiting volunteers to help us continue to expand the reach of the [...]
Take a Stand for Gulf Coast Residents Tonight!
June 21, 2010 By
Tonight, Monday, June 21 from 8-10 pm ET, CNN will air a telethon on Larry King Live to raise funds and awareness for the United Way Gulf Coast Recovery Fund and two other charities working to respond to the crisis. The program will repeat 12-2 a.m. Viewers will have the opportunity to give to three areas of [...]
Rising Numbers of Children Living in Poverty
June 8, 2010 By
According to an alarming article in today’s USA Today, “the rate of children living in poverty this year will climb to nearly 22%, the highest rate in two decades, according to an analysis by the non-profit Foundation for Child Development. Nearly 17% of children were living in poverty in 2006, before the recession began.” The [...]
The High Cost of Free
May 27, 2010 By
Over at mint.com there is a very interesting infographic about how sometimes things that seem to good too be true can end up costing you more money in the end. A lot of these services seem to affect low-income individuals and families disproportionately. At United Way of the Bay Area we are well of this [...]
Spirit of the Bay Winners Announced!
May 13, 2010 By
Tuesday evening, United Way of the Bay Area honored Bank of America and BRE Properties, Inc. with its highest tribute, the 2010 Spirit of the Bay Award. While all of the nominated companies are strong United Way partners, Bank of America and BRE Properties went above and beyond the call of duty to give back [...]
Dress For Success
May 13, 2010 By
Yesterday, Oakland Raider Nnamdi Asomugha teamed up with United Way volunteers to provide 47 Bay Area youths with professional clothing and accessories, as well as job interview training. The event, sponsored by UPS, was the final part of United Way’s Spring Professional Clothing Drive, in which employees from 12 Bay Area companies donated more than 200 suits, [...]
Hunger Could be Closer Than You Think
May 12, 2010 By
Over at the East Bay Express they have a good article about the USDA’s report (which we discussed here) about hunger in which they highlight a few stories of local people who don’t have enough to eat. The piece focuses on food insecurity which is not just a measurement of people who don’t have enough [...]
Penny Wise But Pound Foolish
May 11, 2010 By
One of the casualties of the fiscal crisis facing the state of California may be the cuts to programs that benefit or are related to the foster care system. A recent article in the Contra Costa times argues that these cuts may be short-sighted. The article focuses on the fact that the Transitional Housing Placement [...]
It All Starts With One Summer…
April 5, 2010 By
Over at MatchBridge, a community project of United Way of the Bay Area, they occasionally post some profiles of the young people they’ve been able to help. As we approach the summer and young people begin looking for employment opportunities we thought it might be nice to share the story about how one member got [...]
Meet Your Volunteer Tax Site
March 22, 2010 By
This past January in Fremont, the mayor, members of the city council, and others gathered at Fremont Family Resource Center to celebrate National Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day. During the event, Fremont Family Resource Center was also presented with a $10,000 check by Citi to support their EITC work. According to recent reports, [...]
