United Way of Pictou County Raises Record Setting Amount
UNITED WAY RAISES RECORD SETTING AMOUNT
New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, February 20, 2022
Your United Way of Pictou County is thrilled to announce that its 2021 Annual Campaign has raised $388,841.18, all of which will be re-invested back into vital local community programs and services right here in Pictou County. Committee chairperson, Dave Fearon, noted that: “…it’s once again through the incredible generosity of our residents, businesses and volunteers that we were able to raise this much money which is so badly needed by so many charitable organizations, programs and people right here in Pictou County. It will be put to very good use!”
In an effort to expand the United Way’s community reach and increase the involvement of Pictou County’s younger generation, Matt and Megan Connors assumed the newly established volunteer roles of GenNext co-chairs. GenNext was created to attract, educate, and engage the next generation of Pictou County leaders who are driven by a shared interest in the ongoing development and success of our community. Matt Connors stated that: “By establishing this new group, our reach was extended to individuals and businesses that may not have been previously involved in our campaign. As a result, we saw a 40% increase in revenue and a 100% increase in engagement in this segment, which strongly demonstrates that our next generation of Pictou County residents is going to follow in the footsteps of the incredibly generous generations before us.”
This year, Carolyn and Graham MacNeil served as Leaders-of-the-Way Co-Chairs. The Leaders-of-the-Way typically make annual donations of $500.00 or more to the campaign. With the help of United Way’s Leader Canvassers Howie Anderson, Marc Comeau, Jim MacConnell, Dr. Bradley MacDougall, Dr.’s Paula and Shawn Noftall and Dr. Ray Wagg, 174 Leader Donors contributed over $184,000 to the campaign. Graham MacNeil noted that: “These generous Leadership gifts play a vital role in harnessing the incredible power, resiliency and skills of the people that make Pictou County such a vibrant, diverse and welcoming place to live and work. On behalf of our team, I’d like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who supported our Leadership initiatives and made donations directly to the United Way’s Community Investment fund.”
Pictou County United Way’s Executive Director, Ellen Fanning, further noted that “…it has been so heartwarming to see Pictou County come together once again in such an extraordinary way. We are extremely grateful to live in a community that truly cares about helping each other. We cannot thank our supporters and volunteers enough! Your contributions help ensure that we can continue our work to meet the needs of today and break down systemic barriers for a more equitable tomorrow”.
United Way Board President Ginger Fitt also commented on campaign results exceeding the $315,000 goal by over 23%. “This extraordinary level of financial support helps ensure the United Way can continue funding local programs and services that improve conditions for thousands of vulnerable and marginalized people and families in Pictou County.”
What does raising over $388,000 mean for Pictou County? It means the United Way can continue to focus on building strong communities where everyone can reach their full potential. It means positively impacting thousands of lives. In fact, the United Way’s Community Investment Committee, and their Board of Directors has just approved funding for 46 local programs and services in 2022 including:
- G. Baillie Memorial School (CCRCE)
- Food Security Program – Food Backpack Program for School Year
- Summer Months Food Program
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pictou County
- Food Security Program - Big Brunch Little Brunch
- Match Activity Programming
- CHAD Transit
- Sunday Drives for Seniors and Socially Isolated
- W. A. MacLeod Consolidated (CCRCE)
- Food Security Program - Free Breakfast / Lunch Program
- Inclusive Sleds
- Family Services of Eastern Nova Scotia
- Family Subsidy Program
- Frank H. MacDonald Academy (CCRCE)
- Food Security Program - Food Backpack Program for Students
- R. Saunders Elementary School (CCRCE)
- Food Security Program - Let's Do Lunch!
- Highland Community Residential Services
- United in Friendship Program and/or Saturday Respite Program
- McCulloch Education Centre (CCRCE)
- Food Security Program - Food Backpack Program
- Expanded Food Backpack Program
- New Glasgow Academy (CCRCE)
- Panther Pantry Free Lunch Program
- North Nova Education Centre (CCRCE)
- Food Security Program - Feed North Nova
- Northumberland Regional High School (CCRCE)
- Food Security Program - NRHS Karma Closet (Food)
- Pictou Academy (CCRCE)
- Food Security Program - PA Chefs
- Pictou County Continuous Learning Association
- Food Security Program - Improved Literacy through Nutrition & Food Literacy
- Pictou County Council of Seniors
- Seniors Outreach Coordinator
- Pictou County Palliative Care Society
- Food Security Program - Food Accessibility for Clients
- Pictou County Roots for Youth Society
- Food Security Program - Food Sustainability
- Staff Training, Health and Hygiene
- Pictou County Women's Resource and Sexual Assault Centre
- Food Security Program - Women Together Food Security
- Girls Leadership
- MORPH – Mapping Our Road to Power and Healing
- Pictou Landing First Nations
- Food Security Program – Community Garden
- Pictou United Church
- Food Security Program - Seeds of Hope Community Garden (non-denominational)
- Case for Smiles (non-denominational)
- Pictou West Food Bank
- Refrigeration unit(s) for new location
- Riverview Home Corporation
- Virtual Reality Training to Improve Mental Health
- Salt Springs Elementary (CCRCE)
- Food Security Program - Free Student Lunch
- SchoolsPlus
- Essentials From Head to Toe
- Scotsburn Elementary (CCRCE)
- Food Security Program - Breakfast and Food Backpack Program
- Summer Street
- Food Security Program - Prepared Meals Program
- The John Howard Society of Nova Scotia
- Food Security Program - MEGG Food Security Program
- Community Comfort and Connections
- The Kidney Foundation of Canada - Pictou County
- Food Security Program - Short-Term Emergency Funding for Food
- The Shepherd's Lunch Room
- Re-opening and Sustainability of the Lunch Room
- Thorburn Consolidated (CCRCE)
- Food Security Program - Food Backpack Program
- Town of Pictou
- Go Wheeling
- Trenton Elementary (CCRCE)
- Food Security Program - TES Food Backpack Program
- Trenton Middle School (CCRCE)
- Food Security Program - Food Backpack Program
- Personal Items Locker
- Viola’s Place Society
- Back Shift Employee
- Walter Duggan Consolidated (CCRCE)
- Food Security Program - Lunch on Us!
- West Pictou Consolidated (CCRCE)
- Food Security Program - Food Backpacks/Breakfast to Lunch
The United Way regularly receives comments about the positive impacts on the lives of those who receive assistance through the programs and services the United Way supports. These include:
- “The United Way funded program provides our family with hope and a renewed sense of community… someone besides ourselves cares for our son enough to make him feel wanted and accepted.”
- “Growing your own food leads to not just food security but a sense of accomplishment. There is mental health, physical health, relationships, learning, even language can be achieved. This is a full spectrum project. The benefits will be more than what is shown on paper.”
- “Without shelter and food security it is impossible to focus on other layers of care, these United Way funded resources supported immediate concerns, allowing for opportunities to address other issues.”
- “ The students look forward to picking up the backpacks and come back with stories of how much those meals with their families mean to them.” “Removing both hunger and it’s accompanying stress/worry is essential for full engagement in learning.”
- “ I attended counselling…I ended up learning valuable strategies which helped me coparent and now I can refocus on the needs of our shared children.”
- “There are countless stories about seniors that couldn’t stand long enough to cook a meal, young families who lost food support when schools locked down, newcomer families that lost jobs. We served homes where people lived in squalor, had no running water, or access to transportation.”
In Photo:
Front holding Banner (l-r): Cooper Smith, volunteer; Susan Muirhead, Board of Directors (BOD); and Sarah Gunn, BOD
Back row (l-r): Elaine White, RD/Admin Coordinator; Ellen Fanning, Executive Director; David Fearon, Campaign Chair; Graham and Carolyn MacNeil, Leaders-of-the-Way Chairs; Matt Connors, GenNext Chair; Sophie MacDougall; Dr. Brad MacDougall, Leader Canvasser; Jenna Burge, RMS Energy; Jim MacConnell, Leader Canvasser; Jackie Long and Joe Edens, Michelin.
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About United Way of Pictou County
Since 1960, we have supported marginalized and vulnerable persons in our community! Together with our funded agencies, volunteers, and partners, we work collaboratively to bring people together to make positive and sustainable impacts on our community.
Media Contacts:
Ellen Fanning
Executive Director
902-755-1754
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