Blazer Kitchen has served employees, students and patients and their families — first with pre-packed bag drive-thru pick-up and now with locations in Hill Student Center and and Medical Towers.Since March, the Benevolent Fund has been working in overdrive to provide food and emergency funds to meet the needs of Blazers and people in the Birmingham community.
Blazer Kitchen has served employees, students and patients and their families — first with pre-packed bag drive-thru pick-up and now with locations in Hill Student Center and and Medical Towers — and the Employee Emergency Assistance Program has distributed funds to employees affected by the pandemic.
Support from the Benevolent Fund also helped community organizations continue and expand services with funds raised through payroll deductions:
- Call volume has doubled for both the United Way’s 211 Information and Referral Line, which connects people with services that assist with utilities, housing, food and health care, and its Crisis Center.
- Meals on Wheels, which delivers food to community seniors, shifted its delivery process to include seven frozen meals once per week plus three weeks of shelf-stable food and regular phone health checks.
- Smile-A-Mile (SAM) has been able to continue its programming for children with cancer via the Children’s of Alabama closed circuit TV and through SAM @ Home boxes, which included kits for STEM activities, woodworking, art creation, cooking and more.
“We have assisted local nonprofits that are struggling to bring in donations allowing them to make ends meet,” said Lisa Higginbotham, Benevolent Fund manager. “The nonprofits we support have worked tirelessly to make adjustments to their service delivery or meet community demand.”
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“When you give to the Benevolent Fund through payroll deduction, you support your co-workers in times of need and sustain nonprofits that are improving the quality of life for our UAB employees, students, patients and neighbors.” |
The pandemic also has forced some reductions in support from the Benevolent Fund: There is no 2020 Habitat House build, and some contributions to area nonprofits and grant programs have been decreased. Higginbotham encourages Blazers to consider making, restarting or increasing their recurring donations to the Benevolent Fund via payroll deduction.
“Recurring gifts are a powerful way to support nonprofits in our community,” she explained. “When you give to the Benevolent Fund through payroll deduction, you support your co-workers in times of need and sustain nonprofits that are improving the quality of life for our UAB employees, students, patients and neighbors.”
Higginbotham encourages Blazers to contribute one hour of pay or 1% of their income per month; those interested can set up a recurring gift via payroll deduction by logging into the Benevolent Fund Pledge site using your BlazerID and password and entering a pledge amount and any nonprofit designations.