Local United Way Continues To Be Hub For Good

United Way of Mahaska County

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Serving the needs of the community is something United Way aims to do every year.

The non-profit teams with over 10 partner agencies every year to help provide resources for those agencies, as they work to serve the people of Mahaska County.

Amy Meyer is the Executive Director at United Way of Mahaska County. She spoke with Oskaloosa News about Campaign, the purpose it serves the organization, and the impact those dollars raised have throughout the community.

United Way does all of its fundraising in the fall of each year, and often local businesses invite the local United Way in to make presentations. Those funding dollars, that help United Way though the year, are then generated by payroll deductions that each individual decides upon. “It’s a really great way you can make a substantial donation in a pretty easy way,” said Meyer.

Paslode was a significant United Way partner before they moved from Oskaloosa. Meyer talked about how they gave, even knowing they would be without work. Meyer said that the employees were huge supports of United Way, even beyond the financial part.

Meyer offered to come and visit with the employees about the services United Way offers to help the soon-to-be dislocated workers.

Just weeks before the facility was to close its doors, Meyer got a call from Paslode. She was expecting to spend some time talking about those services, but was instead greeted with an approximate $7,000 donation from the employees.

That donation came from small funding drives the employees had done, such as a garage sale. “That was just so moving, that they’re [employees] about to lose their jobs, and they’re still thinking about what they can do to support the United Way. I was really moved by that,” said Meyer.

“It made a really big impact on me,” Meyer said.

Changes in the community, like the loss of Paslode, can make for a bigger challenge this year in raising the funds for next year’s budget. The United Way of Mahaska County has set a goal of $400,000 for this next year.

Beyond the dollars, United Way of Mahaska County continues to work on being a hub for those projects working to serve the community. The Oskaloosa Summer Lunch Program is one such example of a project being facilitated by the United Way, but doesn’t impact the budget of United Way itself. Another project the United Way has been a part of to help combat childhood hunger is the Take-Along Weekend Food Program for kids. That program sends along nutritious food items for students to eat during the weekend, when they are away from the school lunch program.

By focusing on the impact that these programs have within the community, Meyer said that, “Even with the same amount of dollars, or even fewer dollars, I think that we’ve been able to have a lot greater impact.”

There are other programs that don’t include money coming in and then going out, including working on developing projects like the Oskaloosa Rides. United Way has been helping to secure funding for the pilot program through transportation grants and local fundraising, and, as a result, a public transit bus has now been working on helping Oskaloosa residents to get where they need to be.

“I think that what United Way’s strength is, is looking at the big picture,” says Meyer.

Being that hub for volunteers and programs to serve the community, Meyer and the United Way staff are able to help connect people, discuss the issues impacting people locally, and then ultimately able to collaborate to help find solutions.

Meyer said that those opportunities have allowed the group to target specific needs in the community, without necessarily spending more money.

For those interested in helping United Way help Mahaska County, you can drop off or mail donations to 500 High Ave W, in Oskaloosa. You can also donate online through their website at http://www.unitedwaymahaska.org/

Beyond the giving part of the equation, Meyer said that volunteering and advocacy, part of what United Way is, is also very important. If you would like to volunteer your time to the community, you can visit their volunteer site at http://www.volunteermahaska.org/ for other opportunities to give to your community.