NONPROFIT NEWS Goodwill Omaha’s “Round It Up” Campaign Raises $16.5K for United Way Organizations
Heartland Hope Mission Updates Millard Pantry Hours with an Additional Saturday
Goodwill Omaha’s latest “Round It Up Campaign,” held throughout November and December 2020, collected $16,500 of donations from Goodwill shoppers for United Way of the Midlands (UWM) and Fremont Area United Way. Goodwill Omaha President and CEO Tobi Mathouser presented checks to the organizations in early February to assist them with their efforts for locals affected by COVID-19. Goodwill stores in Fremont and Blair raised $1,500 for the Fremont Area United Way, and stores in UWM’s territory raised $15,000.
In an effort to serve working poor families better, Heartland Hope Mission’s Millard location has updated their pantry operating hours by adding a second Saturday each month for families in need. They now will be open from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. Volunteer opportunities are available for those who would like to serve families in need. Volunteers help distribute food and hygiene products, restock pantry shelves, and sort clothing to help poor families in our community.
“We want to be good stewards of the communities we serve, and a significant way we can do that is to help other organizations that can help people in other ways than Goodwill does,” Tobi said. “COVID-19 has caused struggles for so many people, and it seems like everyone’s needs are unique. The best way we can help is by sponsoring a campaign like this.” Goodwill Industries, Inc. in Omaha serves eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa by providing a place to donate used clothing and household items, or find a great bargain. The true mission of the nonprofit, however, is to provide job training and placement services to people with disabilities and other disadvantages. For more information about Goodwill or their 18 regional locations, visit www. goodwillomaha.org or follow them on Facebook (@goodwillomaha), Twitter (@goodwillomaha), and YouTube (@goodwillomahatv).
FAMILY, Inc. Wins $250K Federal Grant to Support Mobile Wellness Unit for Children FAMILY, Inc. is excited to announce that it is one of only 10 organizations nationwide to receive a Health Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program (HTPCP) grant in 2021. The federal funding comes through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and amounts $50,000 per year for five years, or a total of $250,000! That will go a long way toward supporting FAMILY Inc.’s creation and operation of a mobile wellness unit, which will be a retro-fitted RV that they can take into underserved and rural areas of our community to provide a host of preventive wellness screenings and assessments for children. These will include dental, vision, hearing, and nutritional screenings, as well as lead testing and developmental assessments. “FAMILY, Inc. is honored to be one of the 10 national recipients for this funding and proud to bring the resources to our community,” said Executive Director Kimberly Kolakowski. “This support will help FAMILY, Inc. break down barriers so that children in need—particularly in rural communities—will have access to preventive health screenings for early detection and for intervention when concerns are noted. We are setting children up for their best chances at success!” FAMILY Inc. provides public-health and family support services to women, children, and families in Pottawattamie and Mills counties. HTPCP grant recipients are entrusted to build on past program success facilitating partnerships with pediatric providers that coordinate to bring important health-care services to rural and other underserved populations. For more information or to donate to FAMILY Inc.’s mission, visit familyia.org or contact Kimberly at kkolakowski@familyia.org or (712) 256-9566, ext. 240. 28 Strictly Business MARCH 2021
Heartland Hope Mission operates one of the largest food pantries in the state but is “More than a Pantry,” as they help families work toward self-sufficiency. They primarily serve working poor families and those who may be facing a crisis situation by providing a week’s supply of food, as well as clothing, diapers, job resources, and community referrals. To sign up to volunteer at the Millard pantry location, please visit HeartlandHopeMission.org. To stay up-to-date about all the great work they are doing in the community, like and follow them on Facebook (@HeartlandHopeMission), LinkedIn (@ Heartland Hope Mission), and Instagram (@heartlandhopemission).
Fundraising Letter Campaign Raises More Than 80K for Assistance League of Omaha® After COVID canceled plans for their largest annual fundraiser—the Christmas Caravan Tour of Homes—Assistance League of Omaha® bounced back with a fundraising letter campaign that resulted in donations of more than $80,000 to help carry on their programs in 2021. That includes Operation School Bell, Operation Teddy Bear, Assault Survivor Kits, Operation Teen Parent, Operation Literacy, and Operation Recovery, all of which have continued with modifications to meet health guidelines. Assistance League of Omaha also recently opened their new, larger Thrift Shop at 8502 West Center Rd., which currently has limited hours—Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.—but they plan to add more days in the future. Operation School Bell (OSB) each year gives more than 4,000 Omaha area school children in need the opportunity to shop for coats and clothing in conjunction with JCPenney at the Westroads. Normally held during the first two weeks of October, it had to be redesigned because of COVID, running for one week in October and two weeks in January. Even with the pandemic adaptations, the Assistance League of Omaha was able to invite 2,750 school children to shop. Because of the large amount of need in the community, they are thrilled about the amount of money they raised. The donations received through the letter campaign will go toward funding OSB and all of Assistance League of Omaha’s other programs. Assistance League of Omaha is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit service organization whose members identify, develop, implement, and raise funding for ongoing philanthropic programs to serve specific needs of children and adults in the Greater Omaha area. Learn more at alomaha.org. #PrintProudDigitalSmart
