$50,000 Donation Benefits United Way COVID-19 Response Efforts
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — A combined $50,000 donation from the William M. Neckerman, Jr. Charitable Foundation and Jane F. Lamb Charitable Foundation will allow the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley to continue its response work.
Last year, donations from the Neckerman Foundation, led by trustees Jim Sisek and Rye Dalton, and the Lamb Foundation, also led by Sisek, led to the creation of the United Way’s COVID-19 Response Fund and inspired others to contribute, the organizations reports. Since March 2020, they foundations have contributed a total $162,500 to the United Way.
“We know that Bill Neckerman and Jane Lamb would want to be at the forefront helping the people of the Mahoning Valley, so we are proud to maintain their legacy by funding these important programs and initiatives run by the United Way,” said Sisek and Dalton in a joint statement.
With the response fund, the United Way fed 3,000 people through its Satur-Day of Caring food giveaway, including seniors, shut-ins and families who couldn’t get out because of the pandemic, the organizations reports. Starting last spring, the organization distributed $85,000 in grocery store vouchers to more than 2,000 students and families in 19 Mahoning Valley school districts.
The Satur-Day of Caring takes place every third Saturday and has expanded to serve 335 families and households, the United Way reports.
The recent donation will allow the organization to continue these efforts in 2021, according to a release. This year, the United Way will help restock school- and community-based food pantries, provide children in need with school supplies and establish the Neckerman Emergency Family Relief Fund, which will enable the organization to quickly help families with emergency assistance as identified by the United Way resource coordinator.
“Our United Way is so grateful for the Neckerman and Lamb Foundations. We could not accomplish what we did last year without their generous support, and this latest gift will help us sustain these initiatives and help families in even more ways,” said Bob Hannon, president of the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. “We hope to make them proud with the impact we are able to achieve in their honor.”
Pictured: Volunteers help load food bags during the United Way’s Satur-Day of Caring in 2020.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
