IGP-2011-16473

This investment is to support the Wildfire Relief Fund of the United Way of Linn, Benton, and Lincoln Counties (UWLBL) in responding to the Pacific Coast wildfires in rural Oregon. UWLBL was identified as partner to offer this funding based on a number of qualifying characteristics. First and foremost, Lincoln County is home to the Samaritan Toledo Clinic, which is one of the sites of the DentaQuest Partnership MORE Care Program. Additionally, these rural communities are home to several Native American tribes and have been hard hit by both COVID-19 and the wildfires. These counties largely rely on agricultural, manufacturing, and tourism jobs and the percentage of families living paycheck to paycheck in each of the counties is: Linn (41%), Benton (39%), and Lincoln (49%). This funding will be entirely dispersed to local non-profits that are providing immediate relief to displaced and otherwise suffering families. Some examples of things that funding has been used for through the Wildfire Relief Fund are food pantries and meal programs, emergency childcare, furniture replacement, and air purification systems in childcare locations. This investment is for $50,000 and UWLBL estimates that this funding will impact about 3,000 people.