- Two Utah United Way organizations have launched a $1 million fundraising effort to aid those impacted by the federal shutdown.
- The initiative is meant to raise funds for groups that aid impacted federal workers and those reliant on federal assistance, like food stamps.
- Funds will assist efforts in the Salt Lake City and Ogden areas.
SALT LAKE CITY — As the federal government shutdown closes in on a month, impacting federal workers and others reliant on federal aid that is drying up, United Way officials in Utah launched a $1 million fundraising effort to help them.
The United Way 211 Emergency Relief Fund, as it has been dubbed, aims to collect donations for use by "community and government partners" that aid those in need. The varied United Way organizations in Utah operate a program, 211 Utah, that helps connect those in need with available services.
"The longer the shutdown continues, the more catastrophic it becomes for civil servants and contractors, as well as Utahns eligible for supports like childcare, food and housing assistance," Bill Crim, president and CEO of United Way of Salt Lake, said in a statement Monday. "We are aligning our efforts to maximize our ability to ensure Utahns have access to basic needs and make the greatest impact to our community."
The Ogden-based United Way of Northern Utah is also involved, and leaders from both Salt Lake City and Ogden are behind the effort. Details of the initiative are online at uw.org/relieffund.
"This is a time to neighbor up — to look out for one another and make sure those who are struggling know they're not alone," Mayor Ben Nadolski said in a statement. Weber County is home to perhaps 6,000-7,000 IRS workers and Nadolski noted that federal workers are "part of what makes Ogden strong."
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall sounded a similar message of solidarity. "In tough times, Salt Lakers do what we've always done — we show up for each other," she said.
Some 40,000 federal employees in Utah have been furloughed and are working without pay due to the shutdown, which started Oct. 1 and stems from the inability of federal lawmakers to reach an accord on a budget plan to keep the government operating. No immediate end is in sight.
Simultaneously, federal programs reliant on public funding, like food stamps, will soon run out of money, impacting some 80,000 Utah households, according to United Way. The Utah Home Energy Assistance Target Program, or HEAT, which provides assistance to those who need it to help cover home heating bills, is also threatened.
"The federal shutdown is creating real and immediate hardship for families across the Wasatch Front," said Julie Johnson, president and CEO of United Way of Northern Utah.
Catholic Community Services of Utah, which operates a food bank in Ogden, made its own call on Monday for donations, given the impact of the shutdown.
"Our Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank is preparing to serve everyone affected, but we need your help to keep our shelves stocked," the organization said via social media. "Together we can make sure our neighbors don't experience hunger."
Funds raised via the United Way effort will initially be earmarked to aid efforts in Salt Lake City, including a food pantry created by Salt Lake City International Airport to help some 500 essential federal workers who are on the job but not getting paychecks. Funding will also be prioritized for organizations like Catholic Community Services and Utah Community Action, a Salt Lake organization that helps those in need.
The city of Ogden has launched a utility bill deferral program for federal workers furloughed due to the shutdown. The program gives those deemed eligible extra time through next March to pay their city utility bills. Call 801-629-8321 for more details. The city has also created a website with information on where people who need help can get it.
Federal workers and those reliant on federal benefits aren't the only people impacted by the shutdown. Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, noted the impact to businesses on Historic 25th Street in Ogden that are reliant on customers in the federal workforce, who have been scaling back their spending.
"Thousands of federal employees are without pay in Ogden, and small businesses on 25th Street are taking a hit because of the government shutdown," he said in a social media post on Friday. "The anxiety is real, it's not hype — business owners are highly concerned with fewer customers, and employees are getting fewer hours of work."
