By Angela DeBoskey
“Hope is a start. But hope needs action to win victories.”
With United Way of Hancock County’s annual campaign well underway, you’ll likely be hearing about our actions pretty regularly over the coming months. We’re proud to talk about the quality programming that your donations help us deliver through our 19 partner agencies, direct services and community collaborations, and of our responsiveness when a problem in the community needs immediate attention. We are deliberate in our actions internally to ensure that our organization is strong financially and as scrappy with its resources as possible.
But these actions all exist because, at our core, we know that people need hope.
When a working mom has to choose between buying food for her family or taking her prescribed medications, she needs hope for a healthier, more sustainable solution. United Way funds a variety of local food programs and even worked to help bring SNAP payments to the farmers’ market. Our upcoming Downtown Restaurant Tour is expected to bring in over $10,000 that will go directly toward fighting hunger in Hancock County.
When an individual finds himself suddenly unemployed, he needs hope that someone can help him cover his essentials until he can earn his next paycheck. United Way partners with local workforce development and transportation programs to help remove any barriers a person might have in obtaining and maintaining steady employment. Additional safety and housing programs protect people of all ages.
When school is unexpectedly canceled, parents need hope that their children can be taken to a quality babysitter or daycare center so they don’t have to call off work for the day. United Way was proud to collaborate with the village of McComb to secure a $1 grant to build a new child development center. We’re also partnering with local community leaders to study Hancock County’s childcare needs and to implement solutions that work for families.
Hope like this is critical to an individual or family’s health and happiness. It’s the reason United Way works hard to run a robust campaign, and it’s why we partner with local nonprofits and community groups who can deliver not only hope, but the tools for lasting change.
We have set a campaign goal of raising $2 million. A group of specially trained community members will volunteer their time to review local agencies and programs and will help decide how that money can best be deployed to provide hope to the residents of Hancock County.
Ultimately, those dollars will help 1 in 4 people to measurably improve their lives.
That is hope in action.
This fall, I ask you to join us as a Difference Maker by contributing to our campaign. Visit www.uwhancock.org and know that your contribution will bring hope to someone when they need it most.
DeBoskey is CEO of United Way of Hancock County.
(This guest column appeared in the Sept. 29, 2023, edition of the Findlay Courier.)