United Way plans to distribute up to $525,000 this week to families and communities affected by Oso landslide: $1.32 Million already collected for Disaster Recovery Fund

We are distributing up to $525,000 this week to support the families and community service organizations affected by the disaster. This is just a part of the $1.32 million that has come into the Recovery Fund so far.

Specifically, $400,000 will go directly to families for immediate recovery needs such as temporary housing, child care, food, gas cards, commuting costs and support for local volunteer responders. We are working through the local family support centers in these communities to get these funds into the hands of the affected families.

$200,000 will be handled by North Counties’ Family Services (formerly the Darrington Family Support Center) for approximately 200 families from Darrington whose lives have been severely disrupted by the mudslide. The remaining $200,000 will go to an Arlington-based family support center, which will be housed at the Arlington Food Bank for the approximately 40 Oso families who have lost their loved ones and their homes.

Up to $125,000 will go to directly support the community groups who are being called on to do so much during this difficult time. Of this $125,000, $25,000 will support North Counties’ Family Services so they can expand the work they are doing. $100,000* will support a new family support center in Arlington.

On Monday, we gave $3,000 to Green Cross, a community service organization, to support their disaster mental health work, and $3,000 to Catholic Community Services to provide gas cards to the community.

We will keep updating this blog and our website with information on where the money is coming from and where the money is going.

*Editor's Note: $25,000 is the initial amount needed by the Arlington Family Resource Project to cover start-up costs. United Way of Snohomish County will be ready to support them with an additional $75,000 if and when necessary.


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