PROGRAMS
2024 Ride United Last Mile Delivery (RULMD)
Clay United Methodist Church | Food Bank of Northern Indiana
United Way of St. Joseph County in partnership with DoorDash. RULMD is a home delivery program that brings food and essential supplies from not-for-profit and social service agencies to address hunger and other complex community challenges. People who need deliveries include seniors, residents with health issues, neighbors who live in food deserts, as well as others dealing with economic impacts.
Utilizing Dashers, delivery couriers for DoorDash, RULMD provides a safe and reliable way to get food to households in need and relieve stress and lines at food pantries. In 2021 alone, DoorDash provided over 480,000 free deliveries and based on the program’s success and has committed to an additional 1.5 million free deliveries to United Way in 2022. Currently, United Way of St. Joseph County is the only United Way in Indiana to sponsor a Ride United: Last Mile Delivery program. “DoorDash founded Project DASH to empower community organizations to leverage our logistics to increase access in their communities,” said Sueli Shaw, Head of Social Impact, DoorDash. “One of the most impactful ways we’ve been able to do this is by working with United Way on Ride United: Last Mile Delivery to connect residents with resources they need, through our incredible Dasher community. We know there’s still work to be done, so we’re thrilled to continue our partnership.” Ride United: Last Mile Delivery has garnered national recognition through multiple innovation awards since launch. In January of 2021, RULMD was recognized with a 2021 BIG Innovation Award by the Business Intelligence Group. In November of 2021, RULMD was recognized with the 2021 Impact Award from Innovation Leader.
Emergency Food & Shelter Program (EFSP) Government FEMA
Broadway Christian Parish | Catholic Charities | Center for the Homeless | Cultivate Food Rescue |Dismas House Food Bank of Northern Indiana | Rescue Inc. (Hope Ministries) | La Casa de Amistad | Life Treatment Center | Mishawaka Food Pantry Real Services | Salvation Army KROC Center | St. Margaret’s House | St. Vincent de Paul | United Religious Community Upper Room Recovery Center | YWCA North Central Indiana
The Emergency Food and Shelter Program began in 1983 with a $50 million federal appropriation. The program was created by Congress to help
meet the needs of hungry and homeless people throughout the United States and its territories by allocating federal funds for the provision of food and shelter.
The program is governed by a National Board composed of representatives of the American Red Cross; Catholic Charities, USA; The Jewish Federations of North America; National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA; The Salvation Army; and United Way Worldwide. The Board is chaired by a representative of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). During its 40 years of operation, the program disbursed over $6.6 billion to over 14,000 local providers in more than 2,500 counties and cities.
EFSP Guiding Principles are:
Efficiency—fiscal administration, reporting and procedural guidance to Local Boards and LROs
Accountability—good steward of taxpayers’ dollars through reasonable oversight and transparency
Responsiveness—prioritize the allocation of supplemental funds to the neediest areas in the nation
Partnership—promote and strengthen collaboration between non-profit organizations and public sector
Facilitating—maximizing appropriate local decision-making through clear guidance and training
How Are Emergency Food and Shelter Program Funds Used?
Program funds are used to provide the following, as determined by the Local Board in funded jurisdictions:
• Food, in the form of served meals or groceries.
• Lodging in a mass shelter or hotel/motel.
• Rent or mortgage payment(s), up to 90 days.
• Utility bill(s), up to 90 days.
• Equipment necessary to feed or shelter people, up to a $300 limit per item.
People Gotta Eat (PGE)
Health Plus Indiana | Broadway Christian Parish | Catholic Charities Fort Wayne South Bend | Clay UMC Pantry | Cultivate Food Rescue | God’s Grace | Salvation Army KROC Center | Lydick UMC Food Pantry | MAC Food Pantry | Mishawaka Food Pantry | Needs for Neighbors | Kingdom Business Almsgiving Ministries | St. Vincent de Paul Society Food Pantry |The Village Food Pantry
Many of us are one disaster away from needing assistance. This is where food pantries come in. We give
food to those in our community who are experiencing some sort of emergency. Others include the elderly, mentally & physically disabled, and those in the re-entry process from prison.
We serve those in our community who are experiencing some sort of emergency that makes finances tight. There are many in our community who don’t know where their next meal is coming from. People Gotta Eat is a group of food pantries that work together to reach out with food tothe hungry in our community.
Team HEAT
Health Plus Indiana | Catholic Charities Fort Wayne South Bend | La Casa de Amistad | Real Services | South Bend Heritage Foundation | St. Vincent de Paul Society
The United Way of St Joseph County (UWSJC) Community Impact Division provides funding through the Team HEAT Matching Grant Program (Team HEAT) to support low- to moderate-income families keep their heat utilities on and paid during St. Joseph County’s coldest winter months.
Team HEAT makes available matching dollars, free financial education, and family-oriented case coordination on a monthly basis through local partners. Local agencies provide support tools that assist families to:
• Maintain their heat utility Nov-March or Summer Electric July-March.
• Learn and exercises on-time bill payment practices
• Set and achieve both personal and financial goals.
Team HEAT was developed to meet the needs identified by the 2006 4Community Needs Assessment. This assessment was commissioned to address home heating needs and the issues that drive disconnects, high deposits, and the reasons clients do not pay consistently during the winter months when bills skyrocket. Team HEAT has produced outstanding results over the last fourteen years in partnership with our anonymous donor(s). Clients have exited heating seasons with on-time bill payments, critical financial budgeting skills to make their limited budgets stretch and have worked with trained case coordinators to identify their utility and life obstacles and build personal goal plans to address life’s roadblocks.