July 7, 2023
"To increase the organized capacity of people to help others."
News & Resources
Catawba County United Way completes 4 grant cycles in 2023
BY JOHN BAILEY
jbailey@ccunitedway.com

It has been a busy year for the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) staff, who recently wrapped up three concurrent grant cycles along with administering the local FEMA grant.
"It was a lot of work but incredibly exciting," CCUW Executive Director Mark Bumgarner said.
Along with the traditional Catawba County Youth Council and large community grants, the CCUW added the new Small Businesses Love Big allocation cycle.
The Catawba County United Way Board and its grant committees approved a total of $590,000 in allocations to be distributed between 2023 and 2024 (Youth Council $10,000; Large Grants $550,000 and Small Businesses Love Big $30,000).
"Combined these cycles reach a broad swath of need in our community that we had not always reached in the past," Bumgarner said.
These needs include addressing income iniquity, racial iniquity, access to healthcare, homeless outreach and senior resources.
During its June meeting, the Catawba County United Way board approved $550,000 in grants to help support 17 programs from 14 local non-profit agencies starting in 2024. The CCUW will use the donor dollars pledged during this year’s campaign to fund those grants.

More Details at THIS LINK.
New moving trucks for CCUW partner Exodus Homes
Exodus Homes, a faith based Catawba County United Way agency that provides 73 beds of supportive housing to homeless recovering people in Hickory, has purchased two late model moving trucks for their revenue generating vocational training program called Exodus Works with the help of four local foundations.
Exodus Works gives the residents of Exodus Homes volunteer work opportunities, and the net profit of Exodus Works is a primary source of funds for Exodus Homes. While people all over Catawba County have come to rely on Exodus Works for their landscaping and general labor services at affordable prices, they are most well known for their moving services where they use medium duty box trucks to get the job done.
In addition to their moving services, they use their box trucks to pick up donations of furniture and household items in good condition. The daily heavy use of these box trucks was wearing them out. A year and a half ago the Rev. Susan Smith, Exodus Homes assistant executive director, began looking for grants from local foundations to help them replace two box trucks that were too old or too far gone to repair.
"We believed our supporters would agree that replacing box trucks that give our people opportunities to work and generate revenue to support the housing program they live in would be a good investment of their grant money," Smith said.

Read more at THIS LINK.
The Catawba County United Way will be hosting its annual Race United free night of racing at the Hickory Motor Speedway this year on Saturday, Sept. 16, and we’d like to invite local non-profits and public agencies to participate in the resource fair prior to the race. Last year we had nearly 3,000 people show up for the event.
This is a great opportunity to share information about your agency and the programs you offer to the community.
If you are interested or have any questions just let John, Mark or Sylvia at the United Way know – 828-327-6851 – and we look forward to seeing you there.

Photos from 2022 Race United at THIS LINK.
What's Happening...Non-profit news and events
We've all heard the phrase - "It takes a village," and in the non-profit world it's true. The Catawba County United Way enjoys building relationships with its community partners and sees how much greater our impact is because of our collective efforts every day.
Below are some upcoming programs and events from just a few of those partners...please share, and if you're interested, the Catawba County Interagency Council meets the second Thursday every month at the United Way office - 2760 Tate Blvd SE in Hickory.
Call 828-327-6851 for more information or email jbailey@ccunitedway.com.
Womenade provides financial assistance through one-time grants of up to $500 for women experiencing a temporary set-back or financial hardship.
NC 211 resources for those in need
From food resources, emergency financial assistance, housing, healthcare, transportation - NC 211 can help you find out which services are available in your community. Call 2-1-1 or visit nc211.org.
Catawba County United Way is one of several community partners who help fund this program.
Since 1944, the Catawba County United Way has been dedicated to increasing the capacity of people to help others. To learn more about the CCUW's mission contact us at 828-327-6851 or visit ccunitedway.com.

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