News

Oct. 30, 2025   BY JOHN BAILEY jbailey@ccunitedway.com   Addressing the issue of hunger, youth outreach and crisis assistance were the primary concerns during the Catawba County United Way’s third grant cycle of the year.  In September, the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) board approved the Small Businesses Love Big grant committee’s recommendation to allocate $17,500 to fund 6 local non-profit agencies. The CCUW’s Small Businesses Love Big…
Oct. 29, 2025   Sharing Resources - recently, the Catawba County United Way shared a list of local food resources in Catawba County. It included food pantries along with places individuals and families can get a hot meal. This list was extensive, but not complete.  As we get closer to the real possibility that SNAP benefits may not be distributed in November, we'd like to ask our followers who know of any other food resources to please share…
Oct. 21, 2025   BY JOHN BAILEY jbailey@ccunitedway.com   Being a teenager can be challenging. Being a teen from a family struggling financially can seem impossible. Being a teen who is homeless, can feel hopeless. This is where the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) steps in to help every December with its Teen Christmas program. This outreach supports families with teens (ages 13–17) during Christmas with $50 in gift cards. In 2024, the program…
Oct. 16, 2025   Regardless of how you define the roots of poverty in any community, it tends to boil down to the issue of access – access to education, access to housing, access to jobs, access to food, access to healthcare, access to transportation. All these issues on their own or together can set a person on a downward spiral in life. And every year, the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) works to help eliminate poverty in an equitable,…
October 10, 2025   BY JOHN BAILEY jbailey@ccunitedway.com   The 32nd annual John F. Hall Catawba County United Way Cross Country Invitational was held Wednesday at Southside Park in Newton with more than 280 runners representing 19 teams from across the region competing. Along with providing an opportunity for local athletes to compete in a first-class meet, teams are required to give back to their communities through service projects. The …
Oct. 3, 2024   BY JOHN BAILEY jbailey@ccunitedway.com   The Catawba County United Way (CCUW) recently completed the purchase of the local domestic violence shelter, formerly owned and ran by the Family Guidance Center (FGC) in Hickory. In August of 2024, the FGC announced on its Facebook page that it was closing due to falling revenue. The agency had been in operation for 65 years at that point.  The CCUW is currently in the process of…
Sept. 26, 2025   BY JOHN BAILEY jbailey@ccunitedway.com   In partnership with the Hickory Motor Speedway (HMS), the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) hosted its 4th annual Race United event on Sept. 13, during HMS’s championship night for their season.  Along with being a free night of racing and fireworks, it was also an opportunity for community outreach. There was a non-profit Resource Fair with more than 20 local agencies and a food drive…
Aug. 29, 2025   The Catawba County United Way’s annual John F. Hall Cross Country Invitational will be held on  Oct. 8 at Southside Park in Newton.  Since 1993, this event has provided an opportunity for local athletes to compete in a first-class meet and learn about the value of giving back to their communities through service projects.  This year registration opens on Sept. 2 at Milesplit NC and closes on Oct. 1 at 9 p.m.  The password to…
Aug. 29, 2025   BY JOHN BAILEY jbailey@ccunitedway.com   How do 449 and 6,292 and 120,000 relate?  For Catawba County, these are numbers that reflect housing instability in some way. The Catawba County United Way (CCUW) recently received a $120,000 grant from the United Way of North Carolina.  These funds will be sub-granted back out by the CCUW to three local non-profits who will use the money to help families struggling with housing stability…
Aug. 28, 2025   The Catawba County United Way is excited to welcome Paw Tales Lodge & Day Spa in Hickory (1575 25th Ave NE) to the CCUW’s Small Businesses Love Big initiative.  This is an opportunity for small companies in Catawba County (50 employees or less) to invest back into their communities by supporting local non-profit programs. Each participating SBLB company contributes $365 a year, which will be used to fund this new Catawba…