Report: Southern California Nonprofit Receives $150,000 Anonymous Donation During Holidays

Inland Southern California United Way is providing gift cards to families in need throughout the Inland Empire thanks to an anonymous $150,000 donation to the organization during the holidays, according to a report.

The donation is to be spent on 600 gift cards, which are already being distributed to “families who have been struggling throughout the pandemic,” according to the San Bernardino Sun.

United Way partnered with Coachella Valley’s United Way of the Desert, cancer resource center Michelle’s Place in Temecula, and prisoner reentry service provider Inland Empire Rebound in San Bernardino, so the organizations can help their clients with gift cards as well.

President Lisa Wright of Inland Southern California United Way provided a statement on the generous donation in a news release obtained by the San Bernardino Sun. 

“We are delighted to have been able to help bring holiday cheer to families in need,” Wright explained. “We know that these cards will go a long way to bring a bit of joy to our neighbors. It feels a lot like getting to play Santa.”

Staff selected families “based on program participants in the more than 40 programs provided by Inland Southern California United Way and Inland Southern California 211+ for low-income families in the Inland Empire,” the San Bernardino Sun reports. 

Inland Southern California United Way has provided services for Inland Empire families since 1931.

“United Way is here to help when our community needs us most,” Wright stated in the release. “We were born out of people seeing unmet need in their communities 90 years ago, and we continue to fight for the education, financial stability, health and housing of every person in our community.”

The organization helped to keep housing for more than 12,000 families in the area during the pandemic and “has administered more than $130 million of rental assistance over the period of the pandemic,” according to the San Bernardino Sun. 

“Inland Southern California United Way’s mission is to unite people, ideas, and resources to empower our community and improve lives,” states the organization’s website.

“We envision a caring community, an extraordinary place to live, learn, work, and grow,” reads the nonprofit’s vision. “We work towards this vision by focusing on the education, financial stability, health, and housing of all people in the Inland Southern California region.”