Volunteers Launch Month-Long Campaign to Support Victims of Domestic Violence by Donating Food and Everyday Necessities

• Catalyst Domestic Violence Services, Chico Chamber of Commerce
  and UnitedHealthcare announce donation to Catalyst Domestic Violence
  Services as part of October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month public
  service campaign
• Community leaders, local businesses, volunteers and employees
  load items into a truck for delivery to Catalyst Emergency Shelter

CHICO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, Catalyst Domestic Violence Services staff, members of the Chico
Chamber of Commerce, community leaders and UnitedHealthcare employees
loaded more than 4,100 pounds of donated food and dozens of boxes filled
with everyday necessities that were delivered to Catalyst Domestic
Violence Services’ emergency shelter in Butte County.

The donation marked the beginning of a month-long public service
campaign in partnership with the Chico Chamber of Commerce, local
business community and Catalyst Domestic Violence Services to raise
awareness during October – Domestic Violence Month.

Throughout September, UnitedHealthcare employees donated 4,100 pounds of
food and everyday items, including toothbrushes, diapers, socks,
blankets and shampoo. In addition to these items, UnitedHealthcare
contributed $3,000 to the Annie B’s Community Drive, the largest grant
program of its kind in the region. Catalyst will receive 100 percent of
the money donated to Catalyst through the Annie B’s Community Drive as
well as a percentage of the total monies raised.

Every year, an estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical abuse
by a partner each year in the United States, according to the National
Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Throughout October, Catalyst
Domestic Violence Services – the only domestic violence emergency
shelter for women and children in Butte County – will host a series of
events as part of a public service campaign to raise awareness about
domestic violence.

Activities include a public service announcement on local radio
stations, a Chico Chamber of Commerce Business Connections morning event
and a tabletop display at Chico State University’s Gender & Sexuality
Equity Center (GSEC) Information Fair. A complete list of events is
available online at www.catalystdvservices.org.

“The families that come to our emergency shelter often come with just
the clothes they wore when they left,” said Anastacia L. Snyder,
executive director at Catalyst. “With the support of UnitedHealthcare
and local Chico businesses we are able to provide victims of domestic
violence and their children with some basic necessities along with a
warm meal. We could not serve the more than 100 families without the
support from our community and business partners.”

For the past five years, UnitedHealthcare employees have donated more
than 10,000 pounds of food to Catalyst Domestic Violence Services to
raise awareness for the women and children fleeing a violent home who
need a safe place to go, to start rebuilding their lives.

“Our employees are grateful for the opportunity to be part of this
annual event to benefit Catalyst Domestic Violence Services,” said Pam
Jamian, UnitedHealthcare Chico site director.

“It’s inspiring to work together with the various businesses helping to
create an opportunity that supports a local agency like Catalyst,” said
Katie Simmons, president and CEO, the Chico Chamber of Commerce. “With
the support of Catalyst and UnitedHealthcare we are all inspired to look
at our community as a whole, roll-up our sleeves and work to make a
difference.”

Several community leaders, including Doug Teeter, chair of the Butte
County Board of Supervisors, joined the volunteers to help load the
donated food and items into the truck.

“I applaud the efforts of UnitedHealthcare and the whole business
community as they work together to support victims of domestic
violence,” said Teeter. “This food drive, made possible by
UnitedHealthcare employees, represents the very best in our community.”

Catalyst Domestic Violence Services helps nearly 1,300 victims of
domestic violence annually as they work to leave abusive situations. The
not-for-profit organization offers a safe house for domestic violence
victims as well as counseling and legal assistance with restraining
orders. Established more than 35 years ago, the nonprofit’s two drop
centers provide services throughout Butte County in addition to its
28-bed confidential shelter and transitional housing program. Catalyst’s
mission is to reduce the incidence of intimate-partner violence through
crisis intervention services, community education and the promotion of
healthy relationships.

UnitedHealthcare serves nearly 3.2 million Californians with a care
provider network of more than 360 hospitals and 90,000 physicians and
other health care professionals statewide. UnitedHealthcare established
its Chico call center in 1998 and is now one of the largest employers in
the community with its employees serving more than 2 million calls
annually for health plan customers across the United States.

About Catalyst
Catalyst is a
nonprofit organization committed to serving the needs of all domestic
violence victims and their children regardless of ethnicity,
citizenship, language, religion, physical disabilities, sexual
orientation, gender identity or HIV status. Catalyst operates a 24-hour
hotline for those in need at 800-895-8476.

About the Chico Chamber of Commerce
The
Chico Chamber of Commerce is a business advocacy organization serving
over 600 area businesses. Our mission is to be the unified voice of
businesses. For more information about programs and services, visit www.chicochamber.com.

About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare
is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by
simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and
wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care
providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit
programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees
and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and
contracts directly with more than 850,000 physicians and care
professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide.
UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:
UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more
information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com
or follow @myUHC on Twitter.

Click
here to subscribe to Mobile Alerts for UnitedHealth Group.

Contacts

UnitedHealthcare
Matthew Rodriguez, 714-226-3494
matthew.rodriguez@uhc.com
or
Catalyst
Domestic Violence Services
Anastacia L. Snyder, 530-343-7711
als@catalystdvservices.org
or
Chico
Chamber of Commerce
Katie Simmons, 530-891-5556
katie@chicochamber.com