Volunteer in the New Year!

Start the New Year by volunteering in your community! Visit our Get Connected volunteer site (link below) to find volunteer opportunities from around Lancaster County, we have projects for everyone.

211 is Here for YOU!

“You’ve been the only one to give good news this year.”

Imagine being a senior citizen living outdoors for a year and being advised to call 211 for help. You connect with a Coordinated Entry Intake Specialist like Eileen who takes so much care and concern with you. Connecting you to resources like affordable housing and shelters that you didn’t know were an option for you but more than that, she listens, empathizes, and does not judge you.

That is the level of service Pennsylvania 211 East recently provided for a resident of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We take great pride in our highly trained staff, who consistently deliver this exceptional level of service to numerous individuals day in and day out.

Free Tax Preparation Scheduling

Scheduling for free tax preparation will begin on Monday, January 1, 2024. VITA services are available to individuals in Lancaster County with an income of $70,000 or less. Our goal is to simplify the tax process and to take the fear out of it. 

To schedule an appointment, call 211 OR go to our website at the link below to see if you qualify. This year we'll have 13 locations ready to assist you.

Women United Wants YOU!

Women United is actively seeking new members to join our network of women who are passionate about driving positive change in Lancaster County.

Memberships are now starting at $250 to become a full voting member. Join us and help improve the lives of women in our community.

AMS Fulfillment Clothing Donation

In November, United Way of Lancaster County was contacted by AMS Fulfillment, a global third-party shipping partner with a location operating out of New Holland, PA. AMS Fulfillment actively communicates donation opportunities with us, and this generous gift involved over 17,000 pounds of clothing from Fresh Clean Threads, a manufacturer of high-quality t-shirts, sweatshirts, pants and more. A big thank you to Ward Trucking for transporting this historic donation!

United Way worked with local partners Anchor Lancaster and Lancaster Food Hub to deliver directly to their donations. Five large pallets of clothing were delivered to our Harrington Drive office, where we will coordinate with community partners extending beyond the city of Lancaster to ensure this once-in-a-lifetime donation reaches the far ends of Lancaster County.

Nonprofit organizations and human service professionals can now sign up to receive a portion of this donation! See the link below for more information and to sign up.

Warm Home, Warm Hearts

Through a new partnership with Brubaker Inc., United Way is reintroducing the Warm Homes Warm Hearts initiative, which provides a heating system update to a household chosen through an application process. 

By bringing awareness to fuel poverty and energy burden in the community, we look to improve conditions of households meeting the ALICE income threshold. A household is in fuel poverty when family members struggle to afford the energy required for adequate warmth and other essential energy services. Energy burden is the ratio of income to energy costs; for some, energy costs can peak at 30% of a household’s income. Health issues arise when an individual is not able to access the appropriate temperature in their homes to stay warm in the coldest months. 

Year-End Alphabet Soup!

Have you heard of a QCD? It’s a Qualified Charitable Distribution and it comes from your IRA. If you are 70.5 years or older and need to take an annual Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from your IRA, a QCD donation to charity counts toward your RMD and is tax-free.

Contact your financial advisor to learn more about the advantages of making a QCD before year-end that can benefit both you and United Way of Lancaster County.

Level Up & Launch Fellow Highlight:

The Edible Classroom seeks to build partnerships with local school districts with the goal of providing the tools and staff to create school-based community gardens in hopes of establishing community building, educational outreach, and access to healthy food for the community.​

Click the events below to RSVP!

THEY'RE BACK! Conversations About OUR Community, Shifting the Cultural Climate Through Nonviolence and Peacemaking in Lancaster County - Tuesday, January 16th - 11am-12pm via Zoom Webinar

Lunch & Learn with Mennonite Disaster Services - Friday, January 19th - 12:30pm-1:30pm at Meals on Wheels Lancaster (1411 Columbia Ave, Lancaster, PA 17603)

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! 211 Day Capacity Building Summit - Friday, February 9th - 9am-2pm at Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences (850 Greenfield Rd, Lancaster, PA 17601)