Recently Hailey, a 3rd grade student, was asked what she was looking forward too. She replied that one of her favorite things to do in the summer is walk to the firehouse to get lunch, picking up food from a United Way subsidized food program. During the school year, she receives a backpack of food on Fridays through the same program. 

When asked what she likes so much about the program, Hailey said “we even get extra snacks and stuff so Mommy doesn’t have to count how many we’re allowed to eat every day.”  Hailey worries a lot about her mom, Karen. She knows her mom is always working. Karen supports Hailey and her sister working two minimum wage jobs and receives very little child support as her ex is constantly changing jobs. 

Karen found it hard to accept assistance, but said: “When it is not my pay week and there is barely anything to eat at home, we need the food.” This food program gives families like Hailey’s the relief of knowing that there is enough food in the house. 

Frank, a widower, felt there was nowhere to go when he wound up living in a car with his two teenage children — Peter and Grace. An Iraq War veteran, Frank has suffered from chronic depression since leaving the service and being homeless didn’t help. Unable to see a way out, he thought that Peter and Grace would be better without him and he attempted to kill himself. Thankfully he was found in time and when he was released from the hospital, he was directed to veteran services supported by United Way. 

Frank is now reunited with Peter and Grace and is living in stable housing, with the family receiving much needed support. They all are receiving counseling and soon Frank feels he’ll be well enough to be able to hold a job and move into their own place. Without your support, this veteran might not have found the help – or hope – he needed to survive.

Carla couldn’t talk to anyone about the way she felt. Her family didn’t believe in depression or mental illness and just told her to keep busy and be happy. 

During a school presentation, she heard from someone who grew up in a family like hers. Someone who not only considered suicide, but had tried to kill herself. For the first time, Carla realized that there was someone who could understand her. She wasn’t alone. 

For fifteen minutes after the special presentation ended, Carla spoke to this caring adult about what she was going through. She received information about people to talk with who could help her.

Since that presentation, Carla has been able to find support and is now doing well in school. While her parents still do not believe in mental illness, Carla knows she’ll be there if her younger siblings ever go through the darkness she did. Without your support of United Way, this school presentation might not have taken place and Carla would not have received the help she desperately needed. 

Betty once lived a very different life. After the death of her husband, this senior citizen found herself in a financial crisis. With diminishing resources and no family, she only had her beloved cats with her when she had to leave her home upon foreclosure. 

Coming to the food pantry was initially very difficult for her and storing and preparing food would present new challenges, as she was living in a motel room with only a small refrigerator. She was so grateful to learn that she’d receive easy-to-open food including fresh fruit, protein shakes, snack packs, bread, drinks, and a variety of personal hygiene and other supplies for herself that all came from United Way funding as well as cat food, two carriers, and litter so she would be able to keep her pets. 

Sadly, there is an increasing amount of people with similar stories in our community due to the rising cost of living. Without the generosity of people like you, services like this could not exist and be able to help Betty and others in our community. 

A 73-year-old single woman, Beatrice is a wheelchair user who’s struggling to make ends meet. At the time she applied for assistance, she was borrowing money from a family member to pay her monthly rent. 

Because of her financial difficulties, she had cut off her cable and landline phone, using her granddaughter’s cell phone when she needed to make calls. In addition, her apartment was not wheelchair accessible so she could not get around much, living largely as a shut-in. Her children, grandchildren and friends were trying to help her until she could find more affordable and wheelchair accessible housing. 

Thanks to a determined case worker, subsidized housing was located for Beatrice, but she needed assistance to pay the first month’s rent. She received financial assistance through United Way funding and in December Beatrice was finally able to move into her new apartment. Now Beatrice has regained her self-sufficiency and independence and is no longer a shut-in struggling to survive.