By Rusty Nixon Correspondent
PLYMOUTH — Thanks to a strong partnership and a little help from the United Way of Marshall County, one of the best new sources of gaining valuable information is growing.
The United Way 2-1-1 Call Center information and referral service is becoming a vital link to helping those in need of services find those services.
The service began about four years ago as a partnership between the United Way of Marshall and St. Joseph counties.
Now Elkhart and Fulton Counties have also joined the team.

“It’s a number you can call to get information and referral, day or night, seven days a week, 365 days a year to find out about resources in the community,” said Jennifer Maddox, executive director of the United Way of Marshall County. “For example they can provide information and answer questions about the current swine flu situation.”
The Center can provide information on practically any need a caller may have.
“If someone needs to find a food pantry, we can tell them where that is and how to get there,” said Maddox. “Cleanup supplies for your home that may have been flooded. If its winter and you need a warming station, or summer and you need a place to go and get cool, we can provide all that information.”
The Center acts as go between for agencies providing services and those in the community who need them but may not be aware of where to find them.
“People are given good answers to their questions anytime of the day or night that they call,” said Maddox. “You talk to a live human being. Obviously, based on the amount of calls, you may have to wait on hold for a short time but you will get to talk to someone. It’s important that you can get answers to your questions without having to wade through a maze of messages asking you to press seven for this or that.”
The service is part of a nationwide network of call centers. Funded by the United Way, the center has received 1500 more calls this quarter than the same time a year ago with a total of over 4,500 calls.
Maddox says that there is work underway that would make the 2-1-1 Call Centers a help in time of crisis.
“We are working now to be a help with non-emergency calls in a disaster situation,” said Maddox. “For example, if there were a tornado in a community they could call 2-1-1 to find information on where to go for shelter, or to check on the welfare of a loved one rather than calling fire or police departments with those questions.”