The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us all in one way or another: we no longer go to school in-person, social outings are virtual or nonexistent, and travel over the summer was limited, to name a few examples. However, these are quite “harmless” examples when considering that COVID-19 has not only infected more than 821,000 people in the Bay Area — thereby profoundly impacting the elderly, working class, and those below the poverty line — but also caused half a million people in the Bay Area to lose their jobs just within these last nine months. 

United Way Bay Area (UWBA) is an organization that fights for health, education, and financial stability in our community, which is important now more than ever before. As a response to the pandemic, the UWBA has already donated over four million dollars to almost 100 organizations across the Bay Area. Interact District 5170’s goal is to raise $25,000 and 30,000 service hours for UWBA in order to “address immediate and emergency needs of people” in the first phase of the projects and “give jobs to people” as well as help “provide financial assistance” during the second phase. As the pandemic and other challenges persist, making this year unlike any other, Interact will be “combatting with care”.