"Building relationships to support our community with

collaboration, compassion and purpose."

By John Bailey

Catawba County United Way

Of the more than 300 families with children who are homeless in North Carolina, 22 of them are in Catawba County. This is according to the 2023 NC Balance of State Continuum of Care Point in Time count in 79 of the state’s counties.

Whether these numbers seem off in either direction, no one wants to think about what it means for every parent and child on this list.



“As a mom, I can’t imagine how hard it has to be, to be stressed out about where you’re going to put your kids at night, especially if it’s not a safe situation or comfortable situation, cars, couches, floors. I can’t imagine,” Family Care Center Executive Director Rachel Heck said.

Every year, the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) partners with other local non-profits to address the issue of homelessness. The Family Care Center became part of this conversation with the CCUW as a recipient of a Small Businesses Love Big (SBLB) grant.

Impact on Homelessness

Family Care Center of Catawba Valley serves homeless families with dependent children through an emergency and residential program, according to the agency’s website. The agency offers physical, emotional, social and educational services to assist families in the transition to becoming self-sufficient.

By John Bailey

Catawba County United Way

Nobody wants to imagine a child without a gift on Christmas morning, or a warm meal to sit down to later that day. ​

That’s why every year, the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) joins other local non-profits and agencies to organize the Catawba County Christmas Bureau.

This is a collaborative effort to provide toys, clothing, coats and a holiday meal to families with children and teenagers in need of assistance during the Christmas season.

A key component to this outreach is The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, which is the main way new toys and clothes are collected for the event.

The CCUW recently had a chance to ask Major Karla Perez from The Salvation Army of Greater Hickory, questions about what makes Angel Trees such an important part of Christmas for so many families.

CCUW – Can you talk about the impact you've seen the program have on families in the past? 

Maj. Perez – I have had families that have counted on these gifts as the only gifts that their kids receive on Christmas morning because when times are tight, they must choose between paying the rent or getting gifts, and of course, paying the rent wins.

Additionally, I have met countless people that have told me the gifts they received for Christmas when they were little came from The Salvation Army Angel Tree program. Now as adults, they give back by adopting an angel as a thank you and to teach their own children about the blessing of giving to others, and they remember how impactful it was for them when they were the receiving angel.

CCUW – How can someone adopt an Angel? 

Maj. Perez – If someone wants to adopt more than 15 angels, please call us (828-322-8061) so we can set you up as an Angel Tree sponsor. 

You can find angels at:

• Walmart stores,
• Valley Hills Mall in Hickory, 
• The Salvation Army thrift stores

It’s three for Shurtape in Week 7.

Congratulations Tanya Miller from Shurtape Technologies.

Tanya is this week's car drawing finalist in the 2024 Catawba County United Way Car Giveaway, and the third from Shurtape.

Thank you, Paramount Automotive Group in Hickory for donating the vehicle, and thank you to Martin Starnes & Associates, CPAs, P.A. for overseeing this year’s drawings.

Just Three drawings left:

Employees at local businesses running a United Way campaign who donate a minimum of $100 are eligible to enter each week's drawing.

Want to be part of this year’s United Way campaign?

Call 828-327-6851 or visit THIS LINK for more information about hosting a United Way campaign at your company.

The Car Giveaway winner will be chosen on Dec. 12.

Thank You to everyone who supports the CCUW every year.

You Are Important.

Catawba County United Way Teen Christmas provides additional assistance to local families who are part of the annual Christmas Bureau program.

The Catawba County Christmas Bureau is a collaborative effort among many Catawba County agencies and organizations to provide toys, clothing and coats to children and teenagers in need of assistance during the Christmas season.



Teen Christmas provides $50 in gift cards for each teen in a family (ages 13 – 17), allowing them to meet the specific needs of their older children.

You Are Not Forgotten.

The United Way also works with all three public school districts in the county to ensure homeless students under the McKinney-Vento act receive gift cards. This is a group, who without the school social workers and the Catawba County United Way, would have no one to turn to during the holidays.

You Matter.

Donate to Teen Christmas and help ensure this program reaches as many teens during the   holidays as possible.

In 2023, the program served nearly 500 teens. This year, we hope to help nearly 600 teens.

Hope in Action – in this week’s Catawba County United Way partner Video Series Karin McDaniel, Executive Director of Adult Life Programs, Inc, talks about the impact of helping families in need of adult day services and what it means to our community as a whole.



Our objective for this series is to educate and raise community awareness about these key issues and related resources in a series of conversations with local nonprofit leaders.

(We paused this series after the initial video with The Corner Table at the end of September, focusing on our work with Hurricane Helene relief projects.)

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 nonprofit 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 (10:30 a.m.) at the United Way office - 2760 Tate Blvd SE in Hickory.

Call 828-327-6851 for more information or email jbailey@ccunitedway.com.

NC 211 is the United Way of North Carolina's health and human services information line.

For help - Call NC 211 by dialing 2-1-1 or (888) 892 1162 or visit THIS LINK. Open 24/7.

Catawba County United Way is one of several community partners who help fund this program every year.