Humboldt County Joins United Way of the Wine Country

On August 28, 2009, United Way of Humboldt County and United Way of the Wine Country announced a new partnership that will add Humboldt and Del Norte counties to the geographic areas served by United Way of the Wine Country. This partnership is the result of a thorough plan by both boards on how to better serve the Humboldt/Del Norte region. The new organization will dramatically streamline the United Way system in local communities for maximum efficiency, allowing more donor dollars to be spent directly on improving lives and strengthening communities. With the addition of these counties, United Way of the Wine Country now serves five northern California counties: Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt and Del Norte.

“One of the key results of this collaboration is that local programs in Humboldt and Del Norte will be strengthened considerably,” said Jenny Bowen, United Way’s Regional Manager for Humboldt and Del Norte counties. “Programs such as the Humboldt Community Switchboard will expand, providing a greater opportunity to collaborate with the business community and local agencies,” she noted. The fundamental activities that belong in each community, such as local fundraising and allocation, remain unchanged, Bowen pointed out. Money raised locally will continue to stay in the Humboldt/Del Norte communities, and key local stakeholders will participate in all decision-making processes.

“This is an important milestone,” said Walter Collins, President and CEO of United Way of the Wine Country. “Communities across our area have distinct needs and vary dramatically in economic and social conditions. That makes it even more critical that we build a more efficient United Way while maintaining the local involvement of volunteers and community leaders in determining needs and appropriate funding.”

United Way has maintained a presence in Humboldt and Del Norte for the past 25 years, but this transition to United Way of the Wine Country is expected to give the local operation a much more robust, impactful presence.

United Way advances the common good of the communities it serves by focusing on the building blocks for a good life: quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement, and good health. The organization’s programs and initiatives will now extend to Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

“We believe that the new structure will offer the best of both worlds to all five counties we now serve and ultimately provide more help to those in need in our communities,” Collins said. “United Way can now spend fewer resources on back office, administrative work and put money where it belongs, back into the community. That’s our mission.”