"Building relationships to support our community with

collaboration, compassion and purpose."

By John Bailey

Catawba County United Way

A seven-pound bag of food may not sound like a lot to most people but for children in The Corner Table’s Backpack Program, it means a weekend of food they might not otherwise have.

According to the 2023 Catawba County Community Health Assessment by Catawba County Public Health, poverty impacted children the hardest, with 18.8% of all children experiencing poverty, including 19.7% of young children under 5. Poverty among adults is actual highest among residents 18- 34 years-old (14%).

Every year the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) looks for opportunities to address the need of families facing food insecurity. This year, the CCUW is supporting several food programs including The Backpack Program through the Catawba County Youth Council Community Grant Cycle, underwritten by the United Way.

​The Backpack Program provides meals and snacks for children in all three local school systems and provides up to 1800 children with food for the weekend through the school year and the summer.

“Most of our families work, but they just don’t have enough to make ends meet,” program coordinator Aundrea Hawn said. 

Hickory Soup Kitchen Volunteers - HSK’s free grocery store is in need of volunteers to bag food, stock shelves, and assist guests when making the choices that best fits their household’s needs. Our 100% choice grocery has seen a large increase in the number of families we are serving in the last few months and we need more volunteers to help us meet these increasing needs.

Volunteers work between the hours of 8 am to around 12 pm Monday through Friday. If you are interested in joining us please call 828-327-4828 to get on the schedule.

Safe Harbor Volunteers - Want to make a real impact in just a few hours a month? Safe Harbor is looking for volunteers to serve as Safe Friends & Mentors—offering encouragement and connection to the women in our programs.

Just 2–4 hours a month, one short training, and simple moments like a walk, a meal, or a good conversation can mean everything. Interested in volunteering? Reach out to our Volunteer and Events Coordinator at ally@safeharbornc.org to learn more!

WIC services for families - Your family could be eligible for WIC and you might not know it. Find out more about eligibility and make an appointment today! Call (828) 695-5884 or learn more at THIS LINK.

Tu familia podría ser elegible para WIC y quizás no lo sepas. ¡Infórmese sobre los requisitos y programe una cita hoy mismo! Llame al (828) 695-5884.

The Crisis Help Center Food Pantry at The Salvation Army of Greater Hickory's is in urgent need of food. What's needed: any shelf-stable food items such as canned vegetables, pasta, canned meat.

Contact: John Hall, Social Services Program Manager, at 828-218-9162

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 non-profit 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.



The Catawba County United Way is a proud to help fund NC 211 locally.