On Feb. 11, the national 211 resource celebrated 211 Day, joining the United Way of Pennsylvania and the more than two hundred 211 call centers across the country to celebrate this resource and those who make it possible. The date 2/11 was chosen for 211 Day in connection with the three-digit number anyone in need can dial to connect to a call center to obtain local resources across the U.S. Help is also available at http://www.pa211.org, where readers may also find information about requesting help via text.

PA 211 East, United Way of Lancaster County's signature program, covers Berks, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, and Schuylkill counties. The 12 employees work to assist countless residents year-round.

PA 211 call centers have been working to meet the increased needs brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, PA 211 East had 69,377 contacts with the community in 2020, which is an increase of 7,322 from 2019.

PA 211 is the free, confidential, 24/7/365 service that connects Pennsylvanians with all the health and human services in their area that are available to help.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, PA 211's contact center staff shifted to remote operations and continued to provide trained resource navigators. PA 211 provided its statewide resource database as a backbone to deliver up-to-the minute information about available local services and volunteer opportunities.

PA 211 uses the PA 211 Counts dashboard, available at https://pa.211counts.org, to understand the needs of individuals in counties, legislative districts, and regions.