(TuscoTV News - Ryan Houk reporting from New Philadelphia)

Let’s be honest, times are tough. Luckily, individuals and organizations are doing their best to ease the shared struggle. We sat down with United Way of Tuscarawas County President Robin Waltz to discuss their plan to help: The COVID-19 Community Response Fund.

“The board of trustees of the United Way met last Tuesday after everything had changed in our community,” Waltz says. “We wanted to see what the United Way should be doing for the community, and so they elected to launch the Tuscarawas County Covid-19 Community Response Fund.”

Waltz says the United Way will increase the impact of the fund by matching community donations up to $50,000, as their fundamental goal is to help those in need. 

  
“We know this is going to disrupt the lives of people in our community, and our entire mission is to mobilize community resources to help people improve their lives. We feel it’s our duty to work proactively to raise these funds for these emergency situations.”

Waltz says the fund will allow partner agencies and organizations to quickly deploy resources and support such as utility assistance, food vulnerability, and housing assistance among other needs, but stresses the fund will not provide grants to individuals.

  
“We work with nineteen different partner agencies and those partner agencies have the experience and history providing people and families with service and support. So at this point, we are not able to grant funds to individuals but we will be granting funds to those partner agencies that serve individuals of Tuscarawas County.”

As of last Wednesday, the response fund has raised over $15,000, and Waltz says anyone interested can help contribute to the cause.

 
“Anybody can donate. Go to tuscunitedway.org and click on the donate button. Or make out checks to the United Way of Tuscarawas County. You can send those checks to 1458 Fifth Street Northwest, New Philadelphia, OH 44663.”

In the memo line, put Covid-19 and the United Way will make sure those funds go to the Community Response Fund. A Community Impact Committee of Tuscarawas County leaders and volunteers will oversee the funding process.

Contribute if you can. Especially now, we’re all in this together.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and for more information visit tuscunitedway.org  

RYAN HOUK - TUSCO TV