Most of us know in an emergency to call 911.
But some emergencies donโt need a firefighter or an ambulance to respond. They might need a food pantryโ a connection to a mental-health counselorโ or information on disaster assistance.
Thatโs when you could call 211.
The 211 system in California is designed to connect people in need with the variety of services that can help on a bad dayโ staffed by teams that know their community.
In several counties in the North Stateโ 211 is operated by United Way of Northern California. I was glad to meet last week with Robert Morton Sr.โ United Wayโs Manager of Healthy Communityโ and Kalie Brisbonโ the organizationโs President and CEOโ to discuss continued state funding for the 211 systems. I appreciate United Wayโs continued commitment to serving North State residents.






