Shoebox Project Aims to Meet Basic Needs of Elderly, Veterans and Homeless

May 8,2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Julie Rosenthal, JR Communications
202-486-3059/julie@jrcommunications.com

SHOEBOX PROJECT AIMS TO MEET BASIC NEEDS OF
ELDERLY, VETERANS AND HOMELESS
Donate Personal Care and Emergency Preparedness Items Through June 1

WASHINGTON, DC, May 8, 2012 – United Way of the National Capital Area (United Way NCA), in partnership with its young professionals group, United Way NCA Emerging Leaders, has launched its first Shoebox Project to help meet the basic needs of the elderly, homeless and veterans in the greater Washington region. Residents of DC, Northern Virginia, and Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties are encouraged to get an empty shoebox from their closet, fill it with personal care and emergency preparedness items, and take it to a drop-off location in their community through June 1.

“In the spring and summer months, nonprofits find that their pantries are at their lowest levels for many items, including basic need and emergency preparedness items,” said United Way NCA President and CEO Bill Hanbury, citing a recent United Way NCA Emerging Leaders survey. “Connecting people in need with local resources and assistance – when they need them – is a critical part of United Way NCA’s mission.”

“Crisis, hunger and homelessness can happen at any time, to virtually anyone,” added Hanbury. Consider these statistics:

Children account for 25.6% of all homeless individuals in the Washington Metropolitan Area.
About 1/3 of the adult homeless population are veterans.
About 11.5% of women and 6.6% of men over age 65 are living at or below the poverty line.
More than 3,000 people in Northern Virginia are homeless; 10% of these people live in Alexandria.
In DC, there are nearly 700 homeless families, comprised of approximately 800 adults and 1,200 children and typically headed by a woman from Ward 7 or 8.

United Way NCA has set a goal of collecting 1,000 shoeboxes. The initiative is modeled after a very successful campaign launched in Atlanta in 2007. After collecting 1,000 shoeboxes during the first year, last year United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta collected 18,000 shoeboxes and distributed them to 67 member nonprofits.

To participate in the Shoebox Project:

1) Fill a shoebox with essential and emergency preparedness items such as travel size toiletries, band aids, sun protector, warm socks, rain ponchos, small flashlights with extra batteries, and prepaid phone cards. See complete list of requested items.
2) Decorate your shoebox.
3) Submit a photo of your decorated shoebox to win prizes.
4) Drop filled shoeboxes at one of the participating drop-off locations listed here.

About United Way of the National Capital Area
Focusing on the critical areas of education, financial stability and health, United Way of the National Capital Area and its nonprofit members not only provide immediate relief of social problems affecting the community, but also work to alleviate the underlying causes of these issues. Serving the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, and Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties for more than 35 years, United Way of the National Capital Area works to inspire acts of caring, deliver hope and improve lives. For more information about United Way of the National Capital Area, visit www.unitedwaynca.org.

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Did You Know?

In 2011, the Lamb Center, a United Way NCA member nonprofit, provided: 44,725 meals,12,952 showers, 9,531 loads of laundry, 270 AA meetings, 575 job counseling sessions, and more.

The Capital Area Food Bank reports more than 641,000 residents of the Washington region are experiencing or at risk of hunger, including more than 100,000 in Fairfax County alone.

Residents in Ward 8 have to travel far to gain access to a public library. This distance can make it hard for residents to continue to succeed in their education.

Residents in Ward 7 have to travel far to gain access to a public library. This distance can make it hard for residents to continue to succeed in their education.

Residents in Ward 5 have to travel far to gain access to a public library. This distance can make it hard for residents to continue to succeed in their education.

In Ward 8, over 40% of single-family home and condominium sales resulted from foreclosure completions or owners selling under distress.

45.0% of residents living in Ward 8 receive food stamps.

In Ward 7, over 40% of single-family home and condominium sales resulted from foreclosure completions or owners selling under distress.

35.0% of residents living in Ward 7 receive food stamps.

5.0% of residents living in Ward 2 receive food stamps.

9.8% of residents in Ward 4 are unemployed.

3.2% of residents in Ward 3 are unemployed.

6.0% of residents in Ward 2 are unemployed.

In Ward 1, over 40% of single-family home and condominium sales resulted from foreclosure completions or owners selling under distress.

12.0% of people living in Ward 1 receive food stamps.

6.0% of people live below the poverty level in Prince William County.

9.4% of students in Prince William County drop out of high school.

More than 130,000 residents in Prince William County do not have health insurance.

8.9% of students in Montgomery County do not graduate high school.

In Montgomery County, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

6.7% of people live below the poverty level in Montgomery County.

13.9% of students in Prince George's County do not graduate high school.

7.8% of people live below the poverty level in Prince George’s County.

In Prince George's County, approximately 1 in 4 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

30,000 children in Northern Virginia live in poverty.

In Northern Virginia, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In seven out of the eight wards in the city, residents are closer to fast food restaurants than large grocery stores, which could have a negative impact on residents’ health.

17.2% of residents in the District of Columbia live below the poverty level.

19.0% of residents in the District of Columbia receive food stamps.

11.9% of residents in the District of Columbia are unemployed.

22.0% of students in the District of Columbia do not graduate high school.

32% of children live below the poverty level in the District of Columbia.

In the District of Columbia, nearly 1 in 2 children under 18 is at the risk of hunger.

12.5% of residents living in Maryland do not graduate high school.

9.2% of people live below the poverty level in Maryland.

Last year 2-1-1 Maryland answered 240,000 calls around basic needs such as food, shelter, eviction prevention and financial assistance for prescriptions

Ward 8 public schools have the lowest average share of students testing at required standards, only 33% in reading and 32% in math.

Over 28% of residents living in Ward 8 are unemployed.

Nearly 20% of people living in Ward 7 are unemployed.

67% of children living in Ward 6 are below the poverty level.

15.8% of people living in Ward 5 are unemployed.

There are more than 40,000 uninsured residents living in Loudoun County.

6.1% of students living in Loudoun County drop out of high school.

Nearly 8,000 people in Loudoun County live on an income of $20,000 to support a family of four.

10.6% of people in Fairfax County do not have health insurance.

5.6% of people live below the poverty level in Fairfax County.

7.9% of students living in Fairfax County drop out of high school.

10.5% of children in Arlington County live below the poverty level.

9.4% of students in Arlington County drop out of high school.

More than 3,000 people in Northern Virginia are homeless, 10% of these live in Alexandria, Virginia.

In the past year, 2-1-1 has answered approximately 632,000 calls from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia from residents seeking services.

Last year 2-1-1 Maryland answered 240,000 calls around basic needs such as food, shelter, eviction prevention and financial assistance for prescriptions.

In Northern Virginia, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In Prince George's County, approximately 1 in 4 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In Montgomery County, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In the District of Columbia, nearly 1 in 2 children under 18 is at the risk of hunger.

Kids who attend a high quality preschool are more likely to graduate from high school and have higher lifetime earnings.

Every $1 invested in high quality early childhood education saves taxpayers $7.

Upon entering first grade, the average middle-class child has spent 1,000 to 1,700 hours of reading time with picture books; a low-income child averages just 25 hours.

Food stamps last an average of 2 1/2 weeks.

By age three, middle-class children have a vocabulary of about 1,100 words compared to 525 words for low-income children.

According to the Partnership for America's Economic Success, if 50 first graders enter school with reading problems, 44 of them will still have difficulties reading in the fourth grade.

The 2009/2010 official federal poverty level for a family of four is an annual household income of $22,050. 185% of poverty is $40,792, a level at which people still struggle with hunger.

The Rand Corporation states that 90% of a person's brain growth happens before the age of 3.

More than 130,000 residents in Prince William County do not have health insurance.

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