NEWS

February 2010 Newsletter

UNITED WAY TO DISTRIBUTE FEDERAL FUNDS
FOR EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER

FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 29, 2009)--- The United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades has announced that  Lee County human service agencies are receiving funds to supplement emergency food and shelter programs in the area. Lee County agencies are receiving $245,998.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) makes the funds available, and the funds are distributed by the United Way to local agencies.  This is the second time that FEMA funds have been distributed this year, with $ $507,103 being distributed to Lee County agencies in June 2009.

Jo Anna Bradshaw, a United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades Board Member, chairs the local allocation committee which oversees the allocations process. “These funds will be used by agencies that serve people in need of emergency food and shelter.  The funds will help fill food pantries and provide shelter to the men, women and children who are hurting the most,” said Jo Anna Bradshaw, chair of the local allocation committee. 

The local allocation committee, charged with distributing the funds appropriated by Congress, requested applications from agencies and determined that the following agencies would receive emergency food and shelter funds:
Catholic Charities
Lehigh Community Services
Lee County Social Services
Cape Coral Caring Center
F.I.S.H. of Sanibel
Abuse Counseling and Treatment (ACT)
The Salvation Army
Harry Chapin Food Bank

Cliff Smith, President of the United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades added, “The emergency food and shelter funds are being put to work where they are needed the most, and the administrative costs of getting the funds to the agencies who actually provide emergency food and shelter is only 2% of the total.  That is extraordinarily low and speaks to the efficiency of the program. This is the second distribution of funds from FEMA in 2009.”

The United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades has been “the way the community cares” since it was established in 1957.  For more information please call United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades at (239) 433-2000 or visit www.unitedwaylee.org.

UNITED WAY ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Fort Myers, Fla. (July 7, 2009) - Larry Hart, Lee County Assistant Tax Collector and United Way Board Chair announced that four community leaders have been elected to the United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades board of directors. The new board members include: Cynthia Hawkins, Wiltshire, Whitley, Richardson and English; Stan Nelson, Lee County Sheriff’s Office; Deborah Richmond, Armadillo Underground; and Vincent Tomlinson, community volunteer. The new board members were elected at the Annual Meeting of the United Way on June 20, 2009.

The board of directors overseas the organization's fundraising, fund distribution, and community planning efforts.  Last year in our community, more than 300,000 people’s lives were touched by United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades 70 partner agencies and 160 initiatives.  These services are fueled by an annual campaign that raised more than $8 million in 2008-2009. 

Since the inception of United Way in 1957, $88 million dollars have been raised in our community.  All money raised in the United Way campaign stays in the local community to help support the local human service network. United Way partner agencies and initiatives like Alvin A Dubin Alzheimer’s Resource Center, Children’s Advocacy Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters, LARC and United Way 211 serve a diverse range of needs in our community such as nurturing children and youth, strengthening families, meeting critical needs such as helping the elderly and disabled live independently, and empowering communities by bringing health and human services to neighborhoods.

In addition to raising funds for human service organizations in our community, the United Way promotes partnerships and collaborations among agencies and initiatives, helping them to work together focusing on issues and solutions that continue to improve lives.  For more information please call United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades at (239) 433-2000 or visit www.unitedwaylee.org.