Capital Area United Way
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT:
Ashley Montagnino
Director of Communications and Marketing
ashleym@cauw.org
225-382-3502 (O)
225-202-4317 (C)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Capital Area United Way Announces
Hurricane Ida Grant Recipients
Baton Rouge, La. (September 20, 2021) – Capital Area United Way (CAUW) awarded over $210,000 in first round grant funding to assist with relief efforts as area partners continue to assist the 10-Parish service area in recovery from Hurricane Ida. Funds raised through the Hurricane Ida Relief Fund are being used for ongoing recovery efforts (food, case management, supply distributions, transitional support), Long Term Recovery, Mental Health/Behavioral Health response and United Way/CAUW 211 response.
Grants were award to the following partners: Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge; Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank; St. James Council on Aging; Southeast Louisiana Legal Services; The Salvation Army Baton Rouge; and The United Cajun Navy.
“We are thrilled to be able to continue supporting our community as we continue recovery from Hurricane Ida” said George Bell, President and CEO of Capital Area United Way. “As recovery continues both in short term and long-term needs, these funds will be vital in providing programs and resources to help our community, particularly the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population.”
Since 8/27, CAUW has stood up several methods of support, relief, and ongoing recovery from Hurricane Ida including activation of the United Way 211/CAUW resource line that provides 24/7 Information, Referral, and Crisis services. Sincere activation, United Way 211/CAUW has received over 5,552 calls related to Ida, which is more than two times a typical monthly call volume in less than three weeks.
To date the Hurricane Ida Relief Fund has raised over $719,000 dollars including contributions from area companies and individuals: Westlake Chemical Corporation ($250,000); BASF ($125,000); The Mosaic Company ($115,000); BCBSLA Foundation ($50,000); Dow Chemical ($50,000); Humana ($50,000); CareSouth ($25,000); Cox Communications ($25,000); and Capital One ($7,500). For more information about disaster response or to donate to the Hurricane Ida Relief Fund visit www.cauw.org/disaster.
For information about eligibility for disaster grants contact Edy Addison at 225-382-3503 or edya@cauw.org.
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Capital Area United Way
For more than 97 years, Capital Area United Way has touched thousands of lives in our 10-Parish service area. We envision a community where everyone is empowered to reach their full potential. Our mission is to solve our community’s toughest challenges by leveraging partnerships to advance the common good in education, income stability, and healthy living. To learn more visit www.cauw.org.