How You Can Help Local Families

Three ideas for giving back

For some families in Steele County, the recent COVID-19 outbreak has made it even harder to take care of basic needs. Many families lived paycheck to paycheck before this crisis and hovered just above the poverty line.
 

Who are Struggling Families?

People in our community who are struggling are often individual who work low wage jobs that keep their income level above the poverty line so they cannot qualify for government assistance however they are barely able to support their family. They do not have money in savings and are one emergency away from having their lives turned upside down.
 

There’s a good chance you have a friend, acquaintance or neighbor that might be struggling and not even know it. They are hard-working individuals who don’t ask for help, sometimes because they don’t even realize that they need it.
 

How You Can Help

Families like the ones described above are often those who have been laid off, experienced wage cuts or who are still working but unable to do so remotely since the outbreak. Despite economic relief from the government, their financial outlook remains challenging.
 

Here’s how you can help them:

• Check-in with your neighbors - Being a good neighbor in these troubling times can go along way. Do so while keeping yourself safe by talking through a window or leaving items outside someone’s door.
• Donate to a local food pantry - Families struggling to get by depend on local food pantries and that need has increased recently. If you can spare some food, drop it off at your local pantry.

Give to United Way of Steele County. United Way provides support to families like these through programs provided by agencies such as Community Pathways of Steele County, Healthy Seniors of Steele County, and Transitional Housing of Steele County. Now more than ever these agencies' programs provide vital support to people in our community that improves their health, education and financial stability. With the help of generous supporters like you, we can meet the growing demand for these services and give people in our community the help they need.