Sudden Impact

60,000

The Navajo Nation has had one of the highest infection rates in the U.S. Several efforts to help were quickly launched at the U, including medical students who collected 60,000 face masks, 50,000 gloves, and other medical equipment. Another initiative led by Heather Tanana JD’10, an assistant professor of law, collected 19,000 pounds of food and supplies for the Navajo Nation. The fundraisers partnered with other local groups, including the Real Salt Lake Foundation, Angel Flight West, Backcountry Santa, and With Love, From Strangers.

37,000

With people stuck inside, and cars aplenty, alum Winslow Young BA’11 and his colleagues at Young Automotive Group came up with a way to put those vehicles to good use. They led a caravan through northern Utah neighborhoods asking people to fill the trucks and vans with nonperishable items for local food banks. The drive netted more than 37,000 pounds of food.

5 MILLION

In the largest volunteer-driven effort in the state since the 2002 Olympics, 50,000 Utahns made 5 million medical-grade masks for health care workers. ProjectProtect was a collaboration between U of U Health, Intermountain Healthcare, and Latter-day Saint charities. And to bring in a little higher-ed competition, the project ended with a Sew Your True Colors campaign asking participants to show their school pride by the color of their thread.

18,000+

For help navigating the economic downturn, more than 18,000 people tuned in to a series of online forums hosted by the David Eccles School of Business. Presenters included former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, Sen. Mitt Romney, and other business and community leaders discussing topics ranging from how nonprofit leaders can make difficult decisions to how to manage cash flow in a pandemic.

$200,000

The pandemic hit hard and fast, and it left a lot of people in need. A call went out for emergency aid for students, and the community responded quickly and in a big way, raising more than $200,000 as of July 1. The on-campus Feed U Pantry also went to curbside pickup in March and in just five days helped more than 700 people with the essentials. They received more than 9,000 pounds of donations March through May.

$75,000

Senior living centers, refugee organizations, school districts, and other nonprofits have been in dire need of personal protective equipment. The Chinese Utahns’ Alliance Against COVID-19 raised $75,000 to purchase and donate PPE for local nonprofits—including $30,000 worth to U of U Health.

Why is COVID-19 having an inequitable impact on different communities?

Latinx individuals make up 14 percent of Utah’s population but account for more than 42 percent of the state’s positive COVID-19 tests. Robert Welsh in the Department of Psychiatry is working to better understand how Latinx people receive health information, and how to make it more trustworthy, timely, and accurate.

COVID-19 Timeline