Can you believe we are seven months into a global pandemic? In March, the team at United Way for Greater Austin transitioned from working in our beloved office on East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to a distributed working model where most of our staff worked from home. While we weren’t sure what was going to happen next, we knew one thing for sure: We wanted to help our community get through this together.
Just weeks after COVID-19 hit our community, we teamed up with Austin Community Foundation to create All Together ATX. And our community stepped up in a big way: Thousands of donors and companies donated more than $6 million. We were able to distribute relief funds into the hands of the community faster than we could have ever imagined.
This amazing outcome was possible thanks to everyday people who want to make a difference. We want to introduce you to two of those people: High schoolers Alice Huang and Sarah Zeng of Dough Re Mi, a cookie baking and delivery business that they created during the COVID-19 pandemic with the intent of “doughing” good by donating a percentage of each cookie sale to a nonprofit of their choice. Dough Re Mi has raised more than $3,000 and donated 80% of their funds made from May to September to All Together ATX.
Learn more about Dough Re Mi and the spark behind their generosity here:
But wait, there’s more …
As All Together ATX comes to a close, Alice and Sarah were looking for a way to continue helping our community. After learning more about our work fighting poverty, Alice and Sarah decided to direct their support to United Way ATX. As of October 1, we are so grateful for their continued support as new donors to United Way.
“Both me and Alice haven’t really felt those drastic effects of the pandemic like others have in our community, but I think it’s an empathy thing,” Sarah said. “Just knowing that there are so many people out there in our community who need help. We thought it would be really nice to help them out since we have the resources and time to do so.”
“It’s such an honor to partner with Dough Re Mi. Alice and Sarah are modeling what it means to be a community-centered business by continuing to donate a share of their proceeds to fight poverty in Austin as they grow their brand. Their ongoing support helps us tackle big challenges—we’re excited for their success and so grateful for their partnership!”
Erica Abbenante | Director of Corporate Relations