Thousands of volunteers across Erie County join forces to strengthen community and disaster preparedness

ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. — On June 25, United Way of Buffalo & Erie County and Erie County Department of Health’s Office of Health Equity joined together to kick off the region’s largest single day volunteer event, the 2025 Day of Caring. The event brought together 2,000 volunteers from more than 90 organizations who completed projects that supported health, safety, and well-being throughout the community.

At the Erie County Warehouse in Amherst, Deputy County Executive Lisa Chimera, United Way President and CEO Trina Burruss, staff from the Erie County Department of Health, and volunteers assembled 4,000 emergency kits. These kits were created to help households prepare for situations such as fires, floods, extreme heat, and winter weather.

Each kit included a 3-Stage straw water filter, handwarmers, a mylar blanket, emergency whistle, pop-up lantern, power bank, Narcan, and educational materials, all packed in a duffle bag. Volunteers from FIFCO, the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions, BankOnBuffalo and M&T Bank formed the first shift. Teams from AAA of Western and Central New York, Amazon, Ford Stamping Plant, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and Caplugs finished up the afternoon. The Erie County Department of Health’s Office of Health Equity is working with local partners to distribute the kits throughout the summer and fall to families who may be most at risk to severe weather.

This initiative directly supports Erie County Community Organizations in Disaster (COAD) by working on community readiness, addressing gaps in emergency preparedness, and promoting coordinated efforts to protect the community during disasters and extreme weather events. COAD’s ongoing community collaboration makes sure emergency preparedness efforts are aligned and Erie County’s overall response is strengthened in times of disaster.

“United Way’s Day of Caring is our community’s largest one day volunteer event,” said Trina Burruss, President and CEO of United Way of Buffalo and Erie County. “We are proud to mobilize 2,000 volunteers from more than 90 organizations this year. That is more than 10,000 hours of volunteer time spent in our community. This year it’s even more important as the number of families facing financial hardship has risen from 40% to 42%. The time these volunteers will spend in the community will translate to organizations saving on projects that they would otherwise have to pay for.”

Deputy County Executive Lisa Chimera added, “The Day of Caring showed how strong our community is when we come together. By assembling these emergency kits, we are helping residents become better prepared and are improving our ability to respond to the growing challenges families are facing.”

Across Erie County, volunteers supported dozens of projects such as cleaning public spaces, painting community buildings, and sorting donations. The day celebrated community collaboration and the impact of service.

United Way Day of Caring: https://www.uwbec.org/get-involved/volunteer/day-of-caring/
ECDOH Office of Health Equity: https://www3.erie.gov/health/health-equity
Erie County COAD: https://www3.erie.gov/dhses/erie-county-community-organizations-active-disaster-coad