When a Westchester resident needed to get her young son to several doctor appointments before a vital surgery, she worried about how to get to and from the doctor. Four out of 10 households in Westchester and Putnam counties, considered the ALICE population, an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living for the county, making important needs like transportation difficult to navigate.
That’s where the United Way of Westchester and Putnam steps in. Its newly launched Ride United Transportation Access program provides free Lyft rides to individuals and families who need transportation to work, school and medical appointments. Since the program launched in 2021 residents have taken more than 3,000 free rides.
“We are proud to have administered more than $550,000 in grants last year to 39 deserving nonprofits,” Butcher said. “But we have also created 40 different programs on our own to meet the needs of our community.”
Those programs range from the Ride United Last-Mile Delivery initiative—which has completed 125,000 deliveries of meals, food boxes and household supplies to vulnerable populations throughout the area since launching in 2020—to the Summer Backpack program, a partnership that organizes several nonprofits aimed at ensuring that low-income children have food and constructive activities throughout the summer.
“Our goal is to get food and supplies into the hands of families at the exact moment they need it, and in a way that’s convenient for them,” Butcher said.
For those families who may not know where to turn to access services, the United Way also operates the 2-1-1 Helpline of the Hudson Valley and Long Island. Operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the helpline is staffed by community resource specialist who can answer questions about government benefits, legal issues, transportation, and mental health among many others.
“It’s important that we have that line staffed 24-hours a day,” Butcher said. “For many families we serve, the panic of uncertainty doesn’t always come between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. We’re there to help folks who wake up at three in the morning worried about housing, health care, and other issues.”
The United Way relies on help from charitable events like the Applied Underwriters Invitational golf tournament held at the Scarsdale Golf Club on Sept. 9.
“This is always one of our favorite events of the year,” Butcher said. “It means so much to know that so many people recognize the importance of embracing everyone in our community. Sometimes the people we serve feel like they are forgotten. This tournament is proof that they are not.”
In Westchester and Putnam counties, more than 40% of households are living in poverty or paycheck to paycheck. In order to assist neighbors to become more self-sufficient, United Way of Westchester and Putnam mobilizes strategic partnerships and leverages resources to create a more equitable community by advancing education, financial stability and health initiatives.
