"Building relationships to support our community with

collaboration, compassion and purpose."

There is a growing concern that Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), also known as SNAP, may have it’s regular funding disrupted in November.

This would leave more than 10,000 families in Catawba County without this critical food resource. In response to this, the Catawba County United Way reached out to its nonprofit partners to get help updating its list of community pantries and other food resources.

The Catawba County United Way will continue to update this list throughout the year.

See the Updated List at

THIS LINK.

If you would like to add or update a resource call 828-327-6851 or email jbailey@ccunitedway.com.

Congratulations Jennifer Punch from Hickory Chair.

Jennifer’s name was drawn as the sixth finalist for the 2025 Catawba County United Way Car Giveaway.

Thank you, Paramount Auto Group in Hickory for donating the vehicle, and thank you RLI-CPA Certified Public Accountants, for overseeing this year’s drawings.

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

Funds raised during the annual Catawba County United Way campaign support local non-profit efforts to help individuals and families facing a crisis in our community.

Want to be part of this year’s United Way campaign? Call 828-327-6851 for more information about hosting a United Way campaign at your company, or visit THIS LINK.

The Car Giveaway winner will be chosen on Dec. 10. Thank You to everyone who supports the CCUW every year.

In the past week, 78 calls for assistance were made in Catawba County to NC 211 more than doubling the 35 from the previous week, inlcuding 25 calls about housing support and 12 for food assistance.

NC 211 is the United Way of North Carolina's health and human services information line, open 24/7.

For help - Call NC 211 by dialing 2-1-1 or (888) 892 1162 or visit nc211.org.

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

See more local NC 211 data at - https://nc.211counts.org/

By John Bailey

Catawba County United Way

Addressing the issue of hunger, youth outreach and crisis assistance were the primary concerns during the Catawba County United Way’s third grant cycle of the year. 

In September, the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) board approved the Small Businesses Love Big grant committee’s recommendation to allocate $17,500 to fund 6 local non-profit agencies.

The CCUW’s Small Businesses Love Big grant cycle is an opportunity for small companies in Catawba County (50 employees or less) to invest back into their communities by supporting non-profit programs.

For Riley Bollinger from Catawba Valley Insurance and a SBLB grant committee member this outreach was all about looking beyond the numbers.

“I really like the perspective of impact over individuals. The idea that you can, especially from a small business perspective, you can make a big impact without needing to have ten thousand employees,” Bollinger said. “Looking at it from a business perspective at individuals impacted, money asked for, the things we’re going to do with the money and then being able to put it into context of what we can do to serve our community with this information, it felt like we were able to give money to the community in a way that will have lasting impact and help a good amount of people.”

In 2024, more than 3,000 individuals were helped by local non-profit programs who received a SBLB grant.

2025-26 Grant Recipients

• Catawba Co. Council on Aging  – West Hickory Senior Center Food Pantry
• The Kindness Project  – Sunday meals/outreach
• Walk With Me Healing Steps  – Mental health services
• Women’s Resource Center – Womenade Program
• OUTright Youth of Catawba Valley – Youth Outreach
• More Than Enough Ministries – Back to school project

Learn more about how the nonprofits plan on using the SBLB funds at - THIS LINK.

The Catawba County United Way wants to thank all the local small businesses who partnered with us to make this grant cycle possible this year.

• Taylor & Viola Structural Engineers
• Chicken Salad Chick
• RLI Certified Public Accountants, PC
• Catawba Valley Insurance Agency
• Countryside Pet Hospital (Vetcor)
• The Gardner Group
• New Directions Chiropractic
• American Fire & Equipment
• Paw Tales Lodge & Day Spa
• Franny's Farmacy
• Tour Truck Golf
• Broome Insurance

Interested in supporting this CCUW outreach? Call Meredith Willis at the Catawba County United Way – 828-327-6851 or visit THIS LINK.

On Wednesday, the Catawba County United Way celebrated Sylvia Long, CCUW Director of Resource Development, on her retirement after 20 years of dedicated service.

During her time with the United Way, Sylvia was instrumental in raising awareness of the collective impact of local nonprofits and the United Way in Catawba County.

Her presence and leadership will be missed, but she leaves a foundation of community engagement that will continue to elevate the work of the CCUW in the future.

From left, CCUW employees: John Bailey, Kelle Love, Mark Bumgarner, Sylvia Long, Meredith Willis and Shanna Clark.

The Catawba County United Way is holding its annual Christmas coat drive through November. We are collecting new coats only for youth sizes 10/12 and up (ages 9 – 12) and teen sizes. Drop off donations at the United Way office – 2760 Tate Blvd SE in Hickory.

You can also make a monetary donation at the link below.

Thank You to everyone who supports the outreach every year.

Potential Federal Shutdown Impact on Local Families Receiving Food Assistance - (Published: Oct. 27) - Catawba County Department of Social Services (DSS) is closely monitoring the potential impact of the federal government shutdown on families who receive Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), also known as SNAP. 

In Catawba County, 10,730 households—representing 22,149 individuals—currently receive $3.4 million in food assistance benefits each month. These dollars not only help families put food on the table but also sustain our local economy. Retailers such as grocery stores and major chains like Walmart rely on SNAP purchases for an estimated 11–18% of their total sales. 

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), more than a million North Carolinians experience food insecurity, including one in six children. Eighty percent of families participating in SNAP in North Carolina include a child, senior, or adult with a disability. 

This week, NCDHHS notified county DSS agencies that it received a letter from the federal government on October 16 indicating FNS benefits for November may be disrupted if the federal shutdown continues. If that occurs, thousands of Catawba County residents may not receive their benefits as usual. 



Read More at THIS LINK.

Exodus Homes Holiday Honor Cards - With your donation of $5 or more, you’ll receive a holiday card and custom envelope that does more than spread cheer — it changes lives. Inside, each card reads: “A gift has been given in your honor to Exodus Homes.”

Want to share even more joy? Honor Card Packets are available in quantities of 5, 10, or 25 — with a slightly lower minimum donation per card. For orders of 250 or more, we’ll even customize the inside with your logo, name, or signature, making them perfect for businesses, churches, or families.

Give a gift that gives back — share hope this holiday season with an Honor Card from Exodus Homes. Call 828-324-4870.

Catawba County Public Health, WIC still available - Despite the federal government shutdown, the North Carolina Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is operational and remains open for business. Participants will be notified in advance if there are any changes to this status. https://www.facebook.com/catawbacountypublichealth

Meals on Wheels of Catawba County is seeking a new community partner in the West Hickory area to help us continue providing nutritious meals to homebound seniors. This partner would be a pickup location for 4 Meals on Wheels Routes.

Currently, ten local churches and community organizations are Meals on Wheels pickup locations throughout the County. These partnerships truly make our work possible. For the past year and a half, we’ve been grateful to partner with a local organization to serve seniors in the West Hickory community. Unfortunately, they are no longer able to continue in this role.

What partnership looks like:

• A member of your organization meets the caterer at the site (around 9:20 a.m., Monday–Thursday) to accept the meals.
• Your representative ensures that meals are picked up by our Meals on Wheels volunteers.
• Your representative assists with ensuring that meals are served at safe temperatures.
• A designated contact sends a brief weekly report to the Senior Nutrition Office (via email or fax).
• Any concerns or updates can be shared with our main office by phone.

Interested in helping, contact Katie Nash, Program Manager, by phone, 828-695-5617, or through email knash@catawbacountync.gov.  

• Information gathered from public social media posts and press releases. To submit a non-profit/public agency brief email John Bailey at THIS LINK.

For families who may have missed the application deadline for this year's Christmas Bureau, The Hickory and Conover Police Departments run similar programs currently taking applications.

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.

• To submit a non-profit/public agency flier email John Bailey at THIS LINK.