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United Way of the National Capital Area is working with local partners to address the many needs of residents in our region. "Living United in our Nation's Capital" is a forum where United Way NCA and the community can discuss this critical work and express opinions about events and important local issues.







Jul 13, 2009

How do you Live United?

As part of the United Way of the National Capital Area’s ongoing mission to help those in need, we have looked into the growing problems within our region and put together a set of opportunities to Live United.

Below is a listing of all of the challenges our team has put together:

Utilities Challenge- Imagine it is 90 degrees and all you have to keep you cool is a small fan and a glass of ice water. Imagine what it would be like to not have air conditioning, a television or your computer. The average monthly electric bill for DC customers rose from $58.16 in 2004 to $103.67 in 2009. Would you use your air conditioning a bit more wisely if you couldn’t use it at all for a month?

Transportation Challenge- Imagine your life without a car, go without it for a week. How would you get to work? How much time is added to your daily commute? Is mass transit a less expensive option?

Food Stamp Challenge- Did you know that in the DC Metro area, there are approximately 633,000 residents at risk of, or experiencing hunger? Imagine feeding your family of four on just $84 a week, or $21 per person.

My name is Arianne Llerena and I am a UWNCA employee and have been for the past 10 months. A group of 6, including myself, came up with these challenges in a meeting one day to give those who give back to the community an idea of how those who are less fortunate live.
September 15, 2009 is our UWNCA Campaign Kick Off event, the idea is that once you complete a challenge you receive a Live United experience sticker, upon receiving this you will be able to talk about your experience at our event.

I have chosen to do the food stamp challenge. As a single 24 year old I go to the grocery store once a week and pick up whatever happens to satisfy my cravings at that moment. I can admit that I do very little price comparison and don’t think too much about spending $30-40 dollars once, sometimes twice a week at the store.
I plan on blogging about my experiences, starting with my trip to the grocery store today with only $21 to spend. Wish me luck!



**Tell others how you Live United in the Nation’s Capital. What are you doing in your community? Have you taken the Live United Challenge? Email your experience to sselender@uwnca.org to be posted on our blog.

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