A year ago October, our community endured Hurricane Milton and its devastating tornadoes. Many were without power for days, including the United Against Poverty Center. During a time of crisis, IRC residents require a hub to access food, hygiene and cleaning supplies, as well as emergency services. We realized that we could not let our community go through another natural disaster without immediate access to UP and our in-house partners’ services.

After power was restored, we teamed up with United Way to become the MARC (Multi Agency Resource Center) for IRC Emergency Management and an American Red Cross Emergency Center to host 14 organizations in our building from October 14–18, 2024. During those few days, over 1,800 families and individuals received services at the UP Center.

While we can always hope for the best, we also know that natural disasters are inevitable, and the UP Center is now more prepared than ever to respond to crisis thanks to Impact 100. The Impact 100 funded generator will allow UP and our in-house partners to provide services to the community at a critical time without delay.

The entire United Against Poverty of Indian River County team is grateful to Impact 100 for their support. Thanks to them, we can continue to support our community during their most vulnerable times. 

To learn more about UP and our transformative programs, visit www.UPIRC.org.