HOW WE’RE SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES DURING COVID-19
If ever there was a time to deliver direct aid to people in crisis this is it.
United Aid Foundation volunteers are usually the first to pack supplies and hop on a plane in response to disasters. But as COVID-19 spread throughout the world, the people who power UAF had to stay home. However that doesn’t mean we have stayed idle.
From the dark days of the coronavirus, UAF president John Alex has encouraged supporters and volunteers to dig deep; and “make this our best and proudest moment.”
As the virus ravaged the city of New York, where UAF is headquartered, and in parts of New Jersey, where many UAF supporters live, our friends gathered and delivered N95 face masks to hospitals where health care workers had run out of protection. Our team delivered daily meals for nurses who worked non-stop. Elsewhere our volunteers worked sorting goods and delivering supplies at a food bank in a rural part of Missouri.
Thanks to our partners at You Give Goods, the online charitable giving service, UAF volunteers put together a COVID Care Food Drive that provided more than 5,000 items of food to organizations in New Jersey, Missouri, Florida and Virginia.
“This donation came at a crucial time,” said John Fierro, President/CEO of Mattie Rhodes Center, as staff unloaded the truck that had pulled up to the door in the urban core of Kansas City. “We have families with children who do not have food and many elderly residents who cannot get out of their homes. We thank United Aid for providing food we can safely deliver to them.”
As the crisis wears on, and the depth of need is revealed, UAF remains willing to step up. Our team is evaluating how we can deliver direct aid going forward; not only in the United States, but in countries where we have long-term projects and friendships, and where desperate people are going to need help.
Aside from the photos below, click here to see a video highlighting our collaboration with You Give Goods.