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Thank You to the Buffalo Bills!

We wanted to congratulate our beloved Buffalo Bills on an amazing season! This team has given hope to so many this year, including the Matt Urban Center and the clients we serve. We also want to give a special shout-out to the following Bills players for their acts of generosity during the holiday season:
Matt Barkley and his family made a $10,000 donation to our Hope House women and children’s shelter to make Christmas brighter for our residents (their second donation in 2020!) Matt also teamed up with local apparel company Buf on Weck to sell Buffalo Renegade shirts and hoodies, with part of the proceeds benefitting our organization.
Josh Norman and his Starz 24 Foundation donated blankets, socks, hats, gloves, hand sanitizer and hand warmers to our Homeless Outreach team to help take care of their clients during the cold winter months.
Micah Hyde’s IMagINe For Youth Foundation’s Kicks for Kids initiative donated 25 backpacks filled with Nike Sneakers, Nike Shorts, candy and Buffalo Bills gear to the children in our youth after-school program and those staying at our Hope House shelter.
The Bills’ Women’s Association also provided funds for a beautiful catered holiday meal for our Hope House residents and staff to enjoy together to celebrate the season.
We’re so grateful to have a hometown team that not only plays with tremendous heart, but also keeps our community close to its heart. We’re always rooting for them. GO BILLS!
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Volunteer At Home Opportunity

Looking to give back during the holidays? Assembling personal essentials kits for our Hope Center is a COVID-safe way to volunteer on your own time!
We’ve partnered with the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County’s Family Volunteer Season program to get more folks involved in volunteering while staying safe amidst the pandemic. Any number of kits donated is greatly appreciated and will go to good use in our Hope Center’s personal essentials pantry.
Visit uwbec.org/family-volunteer-day for instructions on how to assemble the kits and info on how to get them to us.
Questions? Email our Development Director, Sarah Maurer, at smaurer@urbanctr.org.
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Barkley Family Shows Their Love for Children at Hope House

 

Even though he’s quarantined at his home in California, Buffalo Bills quarterback Matt Barkley and his family still have families in Buffalo on their minds and in their hearts.

Last week Barkley and his wife, Brittany, reached out to the Matt Urban Center and generously offered a $10,000 donation to support the 25 children and mothers who are currently quarantined at our Hope House homeless shelter.

In 2019, the Barkley’s visited Hope House and participated in an Easter Egg hunt with the families who live there. That experience still resonates with them a year later, and as the COVID-19 pandemic swept through, they had those families on their minds. They specifically requested that their donation be spent on the needs of the children living at Hope House, to make life a little better for them during tough times.

“Knowing that they’re quarantined like everyone else, but that there’s 25 kids running around in this confined space, the moms are probably going crazy, I can’t even imagine,” Barkley said. “Anything that we can do to help, whether it’s games, puzzles, an iPad or two, anything to keep those kids busy, arts and crafts, anything that can go immediately towards this COVID-19 relief is what we wanted.”

Barkley recently spoke about his donation to the Hope House on One Bills Live. You can listen to his interview here.

Our staff at the Matt Urban Center are incredibly thankful to the Barkley family for supporting our clients during this time.

Thank you, Matt and Brittany, for your amazing generosity!

Join Matt Barkley in Giving Back

You can team up with Matt Barkley and take action to help those who need it right now.

Our agency’s programs and services support families living on Buffalo’s East Side. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we need your help now more than ever.

Please consider helping the Barkley’s donation go even further by making your own donation to the Matt Urban Center. Together we can help more Buffalo families get back on their feet.

Donate Here

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Support MUC Through AmazonSmile

Starting your holiday shopping early? Did you know that when you purchase items through AmazonSmile they will donate a portion of the purchase price to an organization of your choosing?

We hope you’ll consider selecting the Polish Community Center of Buffalo, Inc. (aka the Matt Urban Center) as you shop this year. It’s a practically effortless way to support us and all proceeds go toward the crucial programming we provide to the community!

p.s. AmazonSmile isn’t just for holidays – you can use it year round!

Visit Amazon Smile here.

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Celebrate the First day of Spring with #SpringItOnWNY

Spring has officially sprung! To celebrate the First Day of Spring, we are participating in the United Way’s annual #SpringitOnWNY fundraiser.

From 6 p.m. on March 20 to 6 p.m. on March 21, the Matt Urban Center will be accepting donations through our Spring It On fundraising webpage.

This is an opportunity to show your support for the Matt Urban Center and the work we do to support residents of the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood – from youth, to families, to senior citizens. No donation is too small and every bit helps! Your donation will allow us to continue providing essential human services programs to our neighborhood and beyond.

To learn more about our agency and to make a donation, click here to visit our #SpringItOnWNY fundraising page.