"If not me, then who?"
Witnessing the challenges facing her neighbors in Clearwater County, Barbara-Lee Jordan started by asking herself this simple question.
As a Leadership Council member and local leader, Barbara-Lee keeps a finger on the pulse of her community. When several local organizations encountered funding deficits in their efforts to alleviate food insecurity, she stepped up to keep her community fed. Barbara-Lee created the Uplift Clearwater Fund at Innovia, dedicated to sustaining the Clearwater County organizations that serve nourishing meals to children and the elderly.
“We can’t feed everybody. We can’t do everything for everybody; however, the more we can get the fund to grow, the more we can do each year. We can be part of the solution. The most important part of this is taking care of humanity.”
Inspired to Action
Barbara-Lee’s experience connecting with local organizations like Clearwater County Senior Citizens Inc. equipped her with invaluable skills to assist nonprofits and unveiled the immense need for funding in the community.
A critical resource in the community, the senior center provides meals for elderly citizens through Meals on Wheels and low-cost lunches. However, consistent funding has always been a concern. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the senior center was facing financial challenges and needed direction on how to regain stability. Barbara-Lee joined the board, offering her extensive experience to help revitalize the organization in order to maintain their services.
Additionally, her husband’s connection to the Orofino Rotary introduced her to Idaho’s Foodbank Backpack program at local schools that ensures students have food on the weekends and when school is not in session. Upon recognizing funding deficits for both these organizations addressing local food insecurity, Barbara-Lee established the Uplift Clearwater Fund to support these programs now and long into the future.
Her short-term goal is to double the fund’s assets through the support of generous donors. Looking ahead, she hopes the fund will become a sustaining resource to meet the needs of her community for generations to come.
