When the pandemic shut down the Anchorage economy in March 2020 and the feds were still scrambling to a response, United Way of Anchorage and its partners had rent and utility money ready and the means to deliver it. Having just rebooted the Walk 4 Warmth with Lutheran Social Services in February, United Way launched Anchorage Cares to raise money for thousands of residents – many already living paycheck-to-paycheck – who lost jobs and livelihoods when so many businesses closed their doors and the 2020 tourist season was gone before it began.
Anchorage answered that first call for help by donating more than $250,000 in a few weeks. Alaska 2-1-1, already summoned to long-hours of helpline duty by both the Municipality of Anchorage and State of Alaska, provided the portal. Lutheran Social Services distributed the rent checks. Families kept their housing and landlords their income.
That response inspired the Rasmuson Foundation and Alaska Community Foundation to join hands with United Way in the even stronger AK Can Do COVID-19 Response Fund, which raised and distributed funds statewide to individuals, food banks, and other nonprofits with resources gutted by the pandemic. Still later, when federal CARES Act funds became available to the municipality, United Way and its partners had the structures in place to take full advantage of the aid. Together, we’ve delivered the goods.
