United Way of Northern NJ ALICE Recovery Fund
United Way of Northern New Jersey has announced the creation of the ALICE Recovery Fund to address emerging needs related to the COVID-19 impact in its five-county North Jersey region.
The Fund is being launched with a $250,000 donation from the New York Jets, part of $1 million donated by the Jets and its owner, the Johnson Family, to United Way organizations in New Jersey, New York City, and Long Island.
Contributions will be used to address the near-term and long-term recovery needs of those individuals and families uniquely vulnerable during this crisis — those who already struggled to afford the basics before COVID-19 hit.
Donations to the ALICE Recovery Fund can be made online at: UnitedWayNNJ.org/ALICErecovery. To help promote the Fund on Twitter use #ALICErecovery.
United Way of Northern New Jersey serves Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren counties as well as portions of suburban Essex County.
The Recovery Fund will work to ensure the stability of the region’s social service infrastructure and close gaps in needed assistance for households in poverty and those who live paycheck to paycheck, called ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) residents. “The United Way continues to improve lives around the world and we need community-based organizations more than ever at this moment,” said Jets CEO Christopher Johnson. “Everyone has been impacted by this invisible enemy and the United Way is meeting it head-on at home, helping those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and the economic consequences of the outbreak.”
ALICE households are at high risk of hardship due to illness and economic disruption, according to United Way’s ALICE research. Many ALICE workers do not earn enough to have established savings and do not have basic employee protections — such as an annual salary, adequate health care coverage and access to other benefits that would help them withstand the crisis.
“We are profoundly thankful to the New York Jets,” said United Way of Northern New Jersey CEO Kiran Handa Gaudioso. “ALICE is on the front lines of this crisis, supporting our supermarket workers, home health aides, office cleaning staff, and child care teachers. At United Way, we are committed to protecting the financial, physical and mental health of these workers, who are critical to the well-being of our communities and economy.”
To learn more about the Alice Recovery Fund or the United Way, call 973.993.1160 or visit www.UnitedWayNNJ.org.
