Chipping In: $10 Can Make A Difference

June 5, 2009

The United Way of Escambia County announced the results of its Chip in $10 Challenge Thursday, with 535 donors contributing a total of $12,438.

The $12,438 raised in the local campaign will be added to a $150,000 start-up grant provided by the J.H. Baroco Foundation that inspired the challenge for a total community investment of more than $162,000 to help Escambia County families impacted by the recession.

The first $150,000 (the Baroco gift) has been allocated by a team of United Way volunteers. Nonprofit programs that have received funding include:

  • The Salvation Army
  • Catholic Charities
  • United Ministries
  • Children’s Home Society
  • FavorHouse of Northwest Florida
  • United Way’s First Call For Help
  • United Way’s Financial Stability Coalition

Several United Way volunteers will meet in the next week to determine how to allocate the funds raised during the Challenge portion. Donations can still be made online at www.ChipIn10.com, by phone at 444-7145 or by mail to 1301 W. Government St., Pensacola, FL 32502.

The organizations that receive grants from Chip in $10 are using the funds to help families regain stability after a sudden financial crisis such as a loss of employment, reduction in hours, or home foreclosure. In addition to providing financial help, the Chip in $10 grants are aimed at helping these families develop strategies to plan for their future. All recipients must first attend a six-hour financial literacy workshop designed to promote basic money management and understanding of basic financial principles.

In addition to helping individuals and families, the Chip in $10 program has provided the catalyst for a community database for health and human service agencies, driven by United Way’s First Call For Help. The goal of the database is to reduce duplication of services and streamline the data collection process to enhance the capacities of all agencies that work to provide health and human services for people in need.

To learn more about Chip in $10 and United Way, visit www.ChipIn10.com or www.UnitedWayEscambia.org, or call 444-7120.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News