3M makes record in-kind donation to United Way Resource Center

Austin, TX (January 4, 2008) – The United Way Resource Center was a half-empty warehouse before corporate giant 3M decided to fill it to the rafters with office supplies that will be donated to local nonprofit agencies. And 3M promises to keep the shelves stocked with materials for the next three years.

The United Way Resource Center is the home base for the Gifts In-Kind Program, which accepts donations from corporations and individuals, then distributes those gifts to nonprofit agencies who need them. These donations can be almost anything, including basic office supplies like pens and notebooks and paper clips, desktop and laptop computers, toiletries (for homeless and domestic abuse shelters), reams of copier paper, etc.

The idea behind this one-of-a-kind Resource Center is simple: By linking philanthropic companies with nonprofit agencies in need, the burden on those agencies is reduced, both in terms of budgetary costs and hassle, which frees up money and time to spend on serving the community.

Enter 3M, which announced in late 2007 that it would commit to donate more than $380,000 in goods to the Gifts In-Kind program, bringing the total donated by 3M last year to an astounding $593,000.

A week later, just before the holidays, the first set of trucks pulled up to the Resource Center, full of 3M materials. The first round of donated goods included digital projectors (an expensive luxury for most nonprofits), desk lamps, crates of Post-it notes, tape dispensers, etc.

This generous gift highlights 3M’s commitment to increasing capacity for nonprofits.

“We want people to understand the impact of the United Way Gifts In-Kind Program,” said Ann Stafford, Director of Community Affairs for Spansion. “For example, a ream of paper that is donated isn’t just a ream of paper. CASA of Travis County can use that paper to create contracts so that abused children will have volunteer advocates who will give them a voice in court. There is real power in donating goods.”

Media Contact: Andy Buck
Office: (512) 472-6267, Ext. 235
andy.buck@unitedwaycapitalarea.org

United Way Capital Area (UWCA) is focused on narrowing the opportunity gap in Central Texas between those who are getting ahead and those who are falling behind. By engaging the entire regional community around critical social issues, UWCA aims to make lasting, fundamental change in community conditions.

From research throughout the Central Texas community, UWCA has identified three focus areas where it intends to make a measureable difference through improved fundraising, volunteerism and engagement. These focus areas are (1) Education, (2) Health, and (3) Financial Stability. In the next 18 months, UWCA also is providing transitional funding to agencies who previously received funding but were not selected in the new round of funding decisions.

In addition to funding nonprofit agencies, United Way manages a number of programs and collaborations that are improving the lives of Central Texans. They include: (1) 2-1-1, the free dialing code that connects individuals to health and human services; (2) Hands On Central Texas, the volunteer center that matches tens of thousands of volunteers each year to meaningful volunteer opportunities; and (3) Success By 6, the regional collaboration that aims to have all Central Texas children “healthy, happy, and smart” by the time they enter school for the first time.

This release was published on openPR.