The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
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A charitable pillar in the community, the United Way of Oneida (UW) is asking for help as they try to reach this year’s campaign goal.
For 67 years, the UW has been known for its philanthropy, advocacy, and volunteerism in Madison County, according to their website.
This year, local agencies supported by the UW may be affected by a current $3,000 campaign shortage. The UW fears if they don’t reach their goal by their end- of-March deadline, they will have to reduce the funds distributed to every agency by the same percentage, affecting each agency’s ability to provide vital services and assistance crucial to helping those in need.
By donating to the United Way, donors are supporting the UW’s 13 funded partners, including:
• American Red Cross of Central New York/ MadisonOneida
• Catholic Charities of Madison County
• Church on the Rock Food Pantry
• Community Action Partnership for Madison County
• Heritage Farm
• Hospice & Palliative Care of Oneida, Herkimer and Eastern Madison Counties
• Karing Kitchen
• Legal Aid Society of MidNew York
• Madison County Children’s Camp
• Oneida Area Day Care Center
• St. Patrick’s Food Pantry
• Help Restore Hope Center / Liberty Resources
• Wanderers’ Rest Humane Association
Executive Director Denise Laube reported that in her 31 years at UW, the annual fundraising campaign missed its goal only once.
Laube commented on this year’s shortfall in funding and speculated what may have caused the dip in donations.
“There’s a lot of different pieces to the puzzle that are affecting the overall goal,” she admitted.
UW gets a large majority of its funding through employee donations, which are funds to the UW that get taken directly out of the participating employee’s paychecks.
However, this year, Laube has noticed a decrease in the employee-donor campaign totals. A decreased employee
base at participating employers, as well as reduced donations in general, are variables that Laube suspects to be at play.
Overall, awareness and outreach seem to be UW’s biggest obstacles. As the employers that support the UW are changing, either by reducing employees or leaving Oneida completely, reaching new employers/donors is a task Laube admits has been difficult.
Laube wants to let the community know, both employers and individuals, that the UW could use their support, and doing so can have a more significant effect on the community than meets the eye.
“One donation benefits 13 different agencies,” Laube emphasized. “We’re happy to work with any and everybody.”
In an effort to increase donor engagement, a simple “one- click” donation option has been added to the UW’s toolbelt. Anyone can donate and choose the amount they’d like to give, either on a one-time or recurring monthly basis. The UW suggests making a $20 donation to kick off the new year, 2020.
The United Way of Greater Oneida is proud to claim that the donations they receive stay in Madison County. The following is a list the UWhas arranged depicting the ways donations may translate into real-life support. $26 may enable: • St. Patrick’s Food Pantry to purchase 96 cans of tuna fish through the Food Bank of CNY for distribution to people in need right here in the Oneida area.
• Community Action Program to provide a local family of four with hygiene products or diapers
$52 ($1 per week) may enable:
• Church on the Rock Food Pantry to provide 18 gallons of milk in the form of Byrne Dairy gift cards.
• Heritage Farm to offer an additional 5 hours of employment to developmentally disabled farm participants. $78 may enable: • The local chapter of the American Red Cross to provide a family of 3 with food for one day plus blankets in the aftermath of a disaster.
• Catholic Charities to assist with dental or doctor bills for a client with limited resources.
“Our community matters to me,” Laube stated. “I was raised in this community; I’ve come back to this community...it does matter to me. And it matters to me that these agencies are able to provide the services that they’re very good at providing.”
To learn more about the United Way and donate to its causes, visit http://unitedwayofgreateroneida. org/ or follow on Facebook @theunitedwayofgreateroneida
Employers interested in becoming a United Way community partner can call 315.363.5779 or email unitedwayoneida@twcny.rr.com