News
July 26, 2024
From Mark Bumgarner - Catawba County United Way executive director
Hey everybody, Mark here. By now, you’ve likely seen the plea from Family Guidance Center regarding their precarious financial situation. I received a call recently from their director informing me they had less than a month’s supply of cash to maintain operating.
Like you, I’m gutted that one of our partners may have to shut its doors, leaving a gap in…
July 26, 2024
BY JOHN BAILEY
jbailey@ccunitedway.com
The more you know, the more empowered you are to make a positive change in your community.
This belief is what inspired this week’s Point-in-Time (PIT) homeless count by the five counties that make up Region 3 of the North Carolina Continuums of Care group - Catawba, Burke, Alexander, McDowell and Caldwell.
This was the first time a PIT summer count has been held in the state, according…
July 12, 2024
HealthNet Gaston was recently awarded the Youth Homelessness System Improvement (YHSI) Grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Catawba County is one of 20 NC counties that the YHSI will focus on, starting this fall. The goal is to establish and implement a response system for rural youth homelessness (through age 24).
This will include:
· Improve the capacity of youth in participating…
July 2, 2024
BY JOHN BAILEY
jbailey@ccunitedway.com
If you have children, you know how long a box of crayons or pencils or a notebook lasts during the school year – not as long as you’d like.
This is why the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) knows it’s never too early to start thinking about helping local families prepare for the new school year by supporting our annual United Way School Supply drive through July.
Donations can be dropped…
June 28, 2024
BY JOHN BAILEY
jbailey@ccunitedway.com
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…
June 21, 2024
BY JOHN BAILEY
jbailey@ccunitedway.com
From car seats to weekend feeding programs to helping students with significant disabilities, this year’s Catawba County Youth Council chose to support a wide variety of local nonprofit programs through its annual Community Grant Cycle.
This process is in partnership with the Catawba County United Way who provides a total of $10,000 to be distributed among the chosen programs based off the…
June 14, 2024
BY JOHN BAILEY
jbailey@ccunitedway.com
Dependable.
Compassionate.
Encouraging.
A Mentor. An Advocate. A Friend.
These are just a few ways the group of nominees for the 2024 Giving From the Heart (GFH) Volunteer Awards were described at the annual event hosted by the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) on Tuesday.
The luncheon is an opportunity to recognize the selfless work so many across the county do every day for those in need…
June 6, 2024
BY JOHN BAILEY
jbailey@ccunitedway.com
For Renee Neal, becoming the Catawba Alliance for Recovery’s new coordinator is all about following her passion for helping others.
Catawba Alliance for Recovery (CAR) announced hiring Neal during the agency’s recent June meeting. The Catawba County United Way has been a partner of CAR since its beginning and is the fiscal sponsor for the organization.
The Alliance was started in 2019 as a…
May 30, 2024
BY JOHN BAILEY
jbailey@ccunitedway.com
Eight Catawba County nonprofits were recently awarded federal funds through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency under the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program.
They each received a share of $57,513 to supplement emergency food and shelter outreach in the county for Phase 41 of the program with the Catawba County United Way overseeing…
May 30, 2024
BY JOHN BAILEY
jbailey@ccunitedway.com
The school year has just wrapped up, but the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) wants to get a jump on recruiting collection partners for the annual Stuff the Bus School Supply Drive in July.
Already, a dozen local businesses and organizations have signed up to help collect donations of classroom supplies, but there is always a need for more partners.
This year, the drive will run from June 28…