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United Way Celebrates 2-1-1 Day; Announces Major Milestone
United Way 2-1-1 announces
that, since July 2019, it has handled over 100,000 calls
from the community – stated ahead of the organization’s
annual “2-1-1 Day” celebration, happening on 2/11/2021,
which raises awareness on this free, 24/7, information and
referral service.
“Seeing that our 2-1-1
Community Resource Advisors have taken more than 100,000
phone calls brings about conflicting emotions,” said Wendy
Pestrue, president & CEO of United Way of Greater Toledo.
“On one hand, I have a great sense of pride that, especially
during this pandemic, we have been there to answer someone’s
call for help. On the other hand, this number brings so much
gravity to how many folks are deeply hurting right now.”
Last year, United Way
celebrated “2-1-1 Day” with in-person educational sessions
and an evening reception, which highlighted how 2-1-1 can
assist community members in times of need. This year, the
organization will be celebrating virtually, with a Facebook
Watch Party and Facebook Fundraiser.
Additionally, United Way
of Greater Toledo’s various social media accounts will be
sharing videos, written content and visual graphics
throughout the day on how 2-1-1 can connect individuals to
various resources – from housing, food and utilities – to
employment, health care and legal assistance.
“Over the last year, we
have seen 2-1-1’s utilization from those we serve in Lucas,
Ottawa and Wood County grow exponentially,” said Jill Bunge,
senior director of community impact at United Way of Greater
Toledo. “In 2020 alone, 2-1-1 handled nearly 60,000
contacts. This includes phone calls, online chats, text
messages and emails, on top of almost 20,000 webpage visits
we had to 211nwo.org,” she said.
More recently, since Ohio
began its COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, United Way 2-1-1 has
been assisting community members, and the Health Departments
of Lucas, Ottawa and Wood County, with vaccine registration
and information sharing. Those logistics on how 2-1-1 is
helping are noted in United Way’s previous release.
This assistance had led to
record-breaking numbers, never seen before by staff. The
organization has shared that, in January of 2021 alone,
United Way 2-1-1 received over 16,000 contacts. In a
traditional month, the program finds itself handling
4,500-6,000 contacts. The last 2-1-1 record was broken in
March 2020, when 2-1-1 Community Resource Advisors received
more than 9,000 contacts, mostly for breakfast and lunch
meal reservations once school districts stopped in-person
learning, and students found themselves without the food
they usually receive during school hours.
“Our 2-1-1 Community
Resource Advisors are heroes. They are each handling
hundreds of calls a day, often absorbing that emotional
distress of the caller and doing all they can to help. It is
admirable to say the least and I know they will be
remembered for their courageous work,” said Pestrue.
United Way 2-1-1 is a
free, 24/7, 365-day health and human services referral
resource for anyone in Lucas, Ottawa and Wood County. To
speak with a 2-1-1 Community Resource Advisor, simply dial
two, one, one; text your zip code to 898-211; or send an
instant message at www.211nwo.org
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