Tribune Chronicle file art / R. Michael Semple Lynn Culver of Mecca, a United Auto Workers Local 1112 member, adds a food item to a food box during the annual Care & Share food distribution at the UAW Local 1112 union hall in December 2017.

Tribune Chronicle

LORDSTOWN — Despite the idling of the Lordstown assembly plant, General Motors has agreed to fund at least two Valley charities through 2020.

According to GM corporate spokesperson Daniel Flores, General Motors will contribute the average of the amount donated (both employee and corporate) the previous two years to both the United Way of Trumbull County and the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley.

The donations will be for the remainder of 2019 and the entire 2020 calendar year.

“We can say from a budget standpoint, for the next two years, (the Lordstown idling) should not impact (the United Way) budgets” as far as the GM committment is concerned, Flores said.

He said GM does not publicly disclose financial details concerning donations.

However, corporate contributions locally would stop at that point, Flores said, unless something changes with the “unallocated” status of the Lordstown facility.

GM announced in November it would end production of the Chevy Cruze and idle Lordstown, and four other North American plants, this year. The final Cruze rolled off the line around 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, and the final shift at the facility, which opened in 1966, ended.

“We have relied on the GM campaign for quite some time and for it to just stop, it has a big effect,” said Bob Hannon, president of United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. “As bad as things have been, corporate has stepped up to help.”

GM Lordstown workers have been a reliable source for United Way donations.

In 2018, GM Lordstown contributed $100,000 toward the agency’s campaign, including General Motors’ corporate match for workplace campaigns.

“This has been our No. 1 workplace campaign for 39 years. The workers donated straight out of their paycheck and GM corporate would match it dollar-for-dollar,” Hannon said. “In 2017, the last time there were three shifts, we would receive $240,000. That had been going down with the shift cuts, but now it’s completely gone away.”

Hannon said when the 2019 United Way fundraising campaign started in September, before GM announced its intentions two months later, Lordstown workers still signed up.

He said those workers who signed up and stayed working through Wednesday continued to donate, but that funding has dropped to about $12,000 since the new year. This not only impacted the organization financially, he said, but it’s also resulted in a loss of volunteers.

“This is a huge blow to the area. I’ve been contacting corporate in Detroit telling them how devastating this is for our area,” Hannon said. “They have stepped up and have agreed to continue funding us for two more years.”

Hannon said he expects the United Way of the Youngstown and Mahoning Valley to receive around $200,000 in continued support from GM.

“Because of this agreement, we don’t anticipate having to make cutbacks, at least for two years,” Hannon said.

The United Way of Trumbull County “had some communication with GM in Detroit in regards to funding, but that was shortly after the announcement in November,” said Ginny Pasha, president of the United Way of Trumbull County. “There is some assurance, but we don’t know how much we will receive.”

Pasha said over the past 10 years, employees of Lordstown GM have donated nearly $1 million to United Way of Trumbull County, and corporate has provided an additional $475,561.

“We have not felt the effects as of yet, but beginning with the notice of the elimination of the second shift, we began to take steps operationally to position our agency for the impact,” Pasha said.

Part of that impact will include helping area families directly affected by the plant closure. Pasha said United Way’s partner agencies are gearing up for requests for assistance, likely to start around September.

“Based on their experience with the elimination of the second and third shifts, our partner agencies who do provide direct services tell us that there is typically a six-month lag,” said Pasha, adding that some UAW benefits and unemployment are available for that time.

Capt. Chris Williams of the Warren Corps Salvation Army said the organization is one of 30 that receives GM funding through the United Way.

“Ultimately it will affect us, we just don’t know how much until it happens. We’re prepared to handle it,” Williams said.

To offset the financial loss once the GM funding ends, Hannon said he’s looking for grants, both state and federal, and at foundation opportunities as well — plus he’ll continue a relationship with the UAW. There are no definite plans yet, but Hannon and Dave Green, president of the UAW 1112, have been discussing ways to get affected Lordstown employees back to work.

Resume writing, connecting with hiring manufacturing partners and offering eduational opportunities are a few ways to help them find employment, he said.

“This partnership has been extraordinary,” Hannon said. “Our motto is ‘Give, Advocate, Volunteer.’ These UAW workers are great, committed and do all three. We feel for them and will be there to help them if they need it.”

Green agrees the partnership between the UAW and the United Way is important and said he and his members will continue to help out where they can.

“When the routine and schedule you’ve had for decades suddenly stops, it’s easy to fall into a depression and volunteering helps give you purpose, which is extremely important,” Green said. “We will continue to give to the United Way and other charities the best we can. We’re down, but not out.”

Reporter Allie Vugrincic and metro editor Jim Mackey contributed to this report.