Cross Blog

Local media coverage depicts United Way cuts’ effect on Red Cross

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

United Way of the Central Carolinas cut local Red Cross services nearly $500,000. Of that, $171,000 was cut from Emergency and Disaster Relief. Because the Red Cross is not a government-funded agency and relies solely on donations from the community, the news of the cuts has been devastating.

“Our Emergency Services program, which took a 40 percent cut in funding from United Way, keeps people from becoming homeless because we can help them find a place to stay after a fire or flooding,” said Pamela Jefsen, CEO of the Greater Carolinas Chapter. “We don’t even want to think about what will happen to these victims of disaster when we start losing the ability to provide that help.”

WBTV, which has always been a champion of Red Cross services, ran a piece recently that captured the effects of this economy on our organization.





Read more about how the chapter is responding to cuts