UNITED WAY OF ST JOHNS COUNTY INC

Arpa grants: united way of st. Johns county administered arpa fund distribution for st. Johns county. The county received $7m federal arpa funds to assist with ongoing issues related to the covid pandemic. Uw-sjc was allotted over $5 million and tasked with creating, administering, and monitoring the process and progress of programs over the 18 month term. 22 programs were funded.

Strategic investment grants: this one-time grant was designed for requests that are collaborative and/or involve organizations that are not currently designated as united way of st. Johns certified-partner agencies for community needs that fall within three designated areas: food insecurity, housing insecurity and mental health issues. The goal is to encourage organizations to work together, be creative and/or to be inclusive of newer partners that are doing amazing work on a smaller scale. Three (3) grants were provided during the year.

Financial stability: realsense free tax preparation not only provides a free service to lower income households and a safe haven from predatory lending practices, it engages and trains volunteers on tax preparation, and most importantly, it returns much needed dollars to the households and in turn to the community. The program was expanded to include both st. Johns and putnam counties and more than doubled the number of returns completed to over 1500, keeping over $1.4 million in our community.

Holiday time assistance: supported by community donations since the 1980's, the empty stocking fund assists vulnerable children and seniors with funds for food, clothing, or toys for the holiday season. Management transitioned to united way of st. Johns county in 2018. Uw-sjc continued collaborating with 7 other groups in the community to provide support to families and seniors. By partnering with local groups, those needing additional services were identified and matched with more comprehensive assistance. 878 families and seniors were served this year.

Other: in the aftermath of the pandemic, student mental health issues have surged, yet the availability of support programs has not kept pace. Uw-sjc is collaborating with several partners and local organizations to provide much-needed support and education to area youths. Drives like tools for schools stock classrooms with student supplies. Team building activities through volunteer projects benefit not only the recipient but the volunteers as well as the sponsoring company. Donations received for specific programs are honored.