Working at a non-profit with limited resources has opened my eyes to a world where money is very limited and other resources have to fill in to plug holes. Volunteers are one of those resources. The United Way of SRC has a full-time staff of three and relies heavily on volunteers and volunteer-type individuals such as interns from local schools to help staff its office. With the help of these volunteers, United Way is able to further expand its reach into our community and continue growing more and more special events that directly benefit Santa Rosa County residents.
Some people are fortunate enough to never have to worry about stretching a dollar. Many others know the saying “The struggle is real” all too well. Sometimes parents with two jobs still have trouble stretching their paycheck to pay their bills, feed their children, and clothe them. Currently, 1 in 3 parents in America struggle to provide diapers for their babies. These families often have no choice but to cut back on things like food or heating and air to be able to purchase diapers.
There are too many children in this county that go through so much hardship so early on in life. Every child deserves to have his or her basic needs met. Therefore, United Way is holding a diaper drive to benefit local parents and their young children. By providing the resource of diapers, these families can focus on fulfilling all of their other basic needs; and in turn move closer to long-term financial stability.
This diaper drive is one of the ways that United Way SRC is currently working on shifting its focus to the ALICE population in our county. ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed people – 1 in 3 in our community are within this ALICE population. The ALICE population is however, also United Way’s average giver. They are the type of person that even though they might struggle themselves month to month, they will still find a way to help out another. They are the quintessential spokesperson for LIVING UNITED.
I have always admired selfless people that through the goodness of their heart can still find the strength to help out another in need, regardless of their own situation. I accepted the position at my local United Way because it is a great avenue to get involved in many different aspects of giving back. The diaper drive going on now is one of those great opportunities to give back to struggling people in this community. For someone, dropping off a bag of diapers might be something small, but for another it is a blessing. At United Way, we strive to show how one small act of kindness can turn into a great blessing for someone else. United Way SRC will be collecting diapers through April 17th at the UWSRC office as well as various other dropbox locations throughout the county. For a complete list of dropoff locations, please visit www.unitedwaysrc.org.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: The ALICE struggle is real