"Building relationships to support our community with

collaboration, compassion and purpose."

By Samantha Gambill

Catawba County United Way

Nearly one out of five children do not have access to clean, healthy food, according to Feeding America.

But The Corner Table and their Backpack Program are working to fix this locally. They are a volunteer based, non-profit organization in Catawba and Alexander County. They are also a funded partner of the Catawba County United Way through the Youth Council community grant program.

"There is nothing worse than knowing children are going hungry in this community," Amanda Drum, the Backpack Program coordinator said, “Our goal is to bridge the gap between hunger and them [children] receiving a good quality education.”

Due to having a background in social work, Drum feels it is very important to have “a boots on the ground approach” when it comes to tackling childhood hunger. She and more than 200 volunteers devote hours of their time to stocking the shelves with donated and purchased food and filling and delivering the bags that will go out to the children.

The Backpack Program provides students at local schools bags of food to take home every weekend for an entire school year. They contain a variety of different foods ranging from popcorn to cereal, to canned vegetables.

These bags weigh approximately seven pounds each. While this may not seem like a lot, these seven-pound bags provide the children and their families with so much more than food.

"Primarily, it offers one less stressor for children to be consumed by or worry about," Drum said. "Having food readily available offers a sense of security and allows them to focus on being children." 

These bags also provide the parents with peace of mind. They know that their child will not go hungry thanks to the support the of The Corner Table's Backpack Program and all its volunteers.

According to Drum, every week nearly 1,400 children receive bags of food through the Backpack program. That is 1,400 children who will be able to come to school the next Monday focused and ready to learn.

Drum expects this number to increase to over 1,500 by the end of the year. While she may not be able to see all the children who benefit from the Backpack program each week Drum said, “it provides pleasure to me to know that we are feeding them and providing a resource to reduce hunger for children across Catawba county.”

For more information about the Corner Table's Backpack Program or to learn how you can help or join the program visit THIS LINK or call 828-464-0355. 

If you or someone you know is in need of critical home repairs, The Habitat Repairs! Program may be able to help.

An open application round will be held through Feb 9. The online application link, downloadable PDF forms, and forms available for pickup at the main office will all be available during this timeframe. Completed applications will be due by Feb. 23.

The online application and PDF download links are at:

https://habitatcatawbavalley.org/services/habitat-repairs/

The Habitat Repairs! Program partners with volunteers, subcontractors, donors, churches, homeowners, families, and individuals to provide critical repairs and weatherization affordably to Catawba County homeowners in need. Learn more by visiting the web link above. Habitat for Humanity is a Catawba County United Way 2024 funded partner.

The Catawba County Youth Council is currently accepting Requests for Funding Proposals (RFPs) targeted to address the impact areas of health and education as they relate to the needs and wellbeing of children and youth in our community.

The applications opened today on the Catawba County United Way's website.

The RFP applications are due to the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) by midnight on March 1. 



Criteria to apply:

• Grants requests are $3,000 or less.
• Incorporated as a not-for-profit, tax-exempt entity or who have a 501-C3 legal status, within Catawba County.
• Comply with applicable legal, federal, state and local operating and reporting requirements (e.g. government approved accounting practices, annual audit, 990, nondiscrimination).
• Provide proof of their non-profit status (copy of 501-C3).

Learn more about the grant at THIS LINK

APPLY at THIS LINK.

Annually, the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) partners with local non-profit and public agencies to support programs that help those in need in the areas of health, income stability and youth education.



The CCUW's large RFP grant cycle starts in February. Important dates for local non-profits interested in applying are below.

Feb. 13 - RFP training (virtual) introducing web portal and application process - 8:30 a.m.

RSVP at - THIS LINK.

Feb. 19 - RFP application opens on CCUW portal



Learn more about all the CCUW grant cycles at THIS LINK.

Thank You…Thank You

Countryside Pet Hospital in Conover. They recently ran a drive to collect dog and cat food to benefit families in the Fox Hollow neighborhood impacted by the Jan. 9 tornado. We appreciate your support. To learn more about how you can help these families call the CCUW at

828-327-6851 or email info@ccunitedway.com.

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.

Tia didn't know about NC 211 until she received a flyer while she was out shopping. She expressed how grateful she was to have learned about the service, which connected her with 3 resources.



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

Open 24/7, 365 days a year.

From food resources, emergency financial assistance, housing, healthcare, transportation - NC 211 can help you find out which services are available in your community.

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