United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area focuses on our community’s education, economic mobility, basic needs and health. On June 21, over 100 community members volunteered for their Day of Action, packing 30,000 meals for local families in need.
Summer is a critical time for children’s physical well-being but, in too many communities, kids are going hungry during the summer months. During the school-year, many children in our community receive free breakfasts and lunches. However, those two meals, per child per day, become an extra financial burden on the child’s family during the summer.
“Our youth lose more than academic support over the summer. For low-wage families, summer often means the absence of regular breakfasts and lunches for their children,” stated Erin Matt, CEO of United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area. “By providing these meals to our local food pantries, it will help them fulfill the increased need they will see in the summer months.”
United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area donated thirty-thousand meals to help alleviate this burden, keeping families’ costs down and children’s stomachs full. Approximately 100 volunteers assembled these meals at the YMCA in Mohawk. The food was distributed across Oneida and Herkimer counties to UWVGU’s trusted partners and other basic-needs nonprofit organizations.
United Way’s Day of Action is a snapshot of what United Way does all year long – mobilizing people around solutions to build stronger communities.
Event sponsors who helped make this event possible included CONMED, LiUNA Local 190, UMWA #717, MVCC PA, CNY Labor Council, PAR Technology, CWA Local 1126, Northland Communications, Broadway Utica, IBEW Local 43, GCC/IBT Local 1L, and UAW Local 2367.