Each week we set aside Monday to put a special focus on our Members. This week’s Member Feature shines a spotlight on the Grove City Area United Way. Read the following Q&A to learn more about our Member Feature for this week, the Grove City Area United Way and all of the ways they support our community.
Please provide a short description of the Grove City Area United Way, and tell us how you support the community?
The Grove City Area United Way was formed during the 1970’s as our organization transitioned from the Grove City Community Chest. Our mission is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of our community. Being a United Way member affords us the opportunity to participate in statewide, regional and national workplace campaigns, receiving matching donations from participating companies. It also provides us with training opportunities, advocacy work done on behalf of all local United Way organizations nationwide, access to a national network of United Ways, potential donors and support systems for our community. While the Grove City Area United Way is in large part a fundraising organization, raising funds that are awarded as grants to non-profits providing critical and much needed services to Grove City Area residents, we also operate our own programs. In 2020, grants were awarded to 11 different organizations: AWARE, Children’s Aid Society of Mercer County, Christian Assistance Network, Community Counseling Center of Mercer County, Girl Scouts Western PA, Grove City Community Food Pantry, Grove City Community Library, Grove City Education Center for Adults, Grove City YMCA, Meals on Wheels, and Salvation Army Grove City Service Unit. Each agency we fund is funded for specific programming that is provided for Grove City area residents.
As an organization, we operate the Stuff the Bus program, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program, host our Annual Day of Caring and in partnership with the Grove City Area School District and Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals, operate the Food for Kids program.
What would you say the Grove City Area United Way has done or does that has had the greatest impact on the community?
The Grove City Area United Way looks at all community needs and works to bring together agencies that provide services that can meet those needs, thereby improving the lives of Grove City area residents. When an individual makes a financial donation to our United Way, they are making a donation that will strengthen the community as a whole. A donor can designate their gift to a specific agency or they can allow our Board of Directors to determine where donations are needed most and award grants based on community need. Since 2001, which is as far back as our electronic records go, we have awarded over $3,000,000 to local organizations that are providing critical services to members of community.
When is your busiest time / season?
The fundraising period for the Grove City Area United Way runs from late August through early March. During that time, we are reaching out to as many local residents and businesses as possible to discuss our United Way, share our mission with them and ask them to support us in improving our community. At other times of the year, we are organizing our annual Day of Caring and our Stuff the Bus program. Food for Kids runs during the school year and the Imagination Library program is an ongoing endeavor in our community.
What is something people would be surprised to know about the Grove City Area United Way?
I think there are a lot of things people would be surprised to know about the Grove City Area United Way!
Our Imagination Library program is open to all Grove City Area School District residents from birth to age 5. Once registered for the program, each child receives one free book sent directly to their home, every single month, until they reach the age of 5. The goal of the program is to get children excited about reading and learning and better prepare them for school. Since the first books went out in May of 2009, we have sent over 19,000 books to Grove City Area School District children!
The Stuff the Bus program began in fall of 2009. It provides one free brand new backpack and school supplies to Grove City Area School District students whose families cannot provide those items for their children themselves. To date, we have given out 1,370 backpacks!
Our Annual Day of Caring is a day where we mobilize volunteers from all across our community to work on projects throughout Grove City. We typically have around 500 volunteers that we send to 70-80 project sites. These sites include doing projects for elderly residents, cleaning up local roads and waterways, projects throughout Olde Town and Memorial Park, getting the Community Garden ready for the planting season, prepping our local playgrounds and sports fields for the summer, mulching at the Middle School, and performing needed jobs at local non-profits and area churches.
The Food for Kids program provides free meals, snacks and drinks to Grove City Area School District students in need over the weekends during the school year. This past school year, we had an average of 49 students each weekend but in previous years, we have fed up to 92 kids/students weekly.
Can you tell us about a memorable experience with an agency or person(s) within the community that you’ve helped?
We are honored to have been able to assist AWARE in identifying a location that now serves as the site for the Brandi Montgomery House in Grove City, a shelter for victims of domestic violence and abuse. We worked to get AWARE and the organization that donated the house together, assisted in meeting with local Police and community members and supported the project through the zoning process. Since the Brandi Montgomery House opened, it has steadily housed domestic abuse victims with no period of time being left vacant.
How has COVID-19 affected the Grove City Area United Way and/or the agencies you support?
In response to COVID-19, our United Way has offered Coronovirus Prevention Microgrants to each of our grant funded agencies. These microgrants will provide financial support towards the purchase of cleaning supplies and sanitization items to aid in improving the safety of their sites. We are also offering Venture Grants to agencies that see an increased demand in critical services due to COVID-19. This would include agencies providing help with such things as (but not limited to) rent and mortgage assistance, utility bills, health care, etc.
How can the community support you now and going forward?
All financial donations made to the Grove City Area United Way stay in the Grove City community, assisting local residents with critical needs and services. Donations can be made on our website www.grovecityunitedway.org through PayPal, mailed to us at Grove City Area United Way, P.O. Box 388, Grove City, PA 16127 and can also be made through payroll deductions at most work places.
Is there anything else you’d like us to talk about?
We would like to thank all of those individuals and businesses that support the Grove City Area United Way. They understand the importance of supporting our community and making it a stronger, healthier place for all of us to live, work and play in. We are grateful to each and every donor, no matter how large or small, to their commitment to Grove City and to LIVE UNITED.
This week’s Member Feature: Grove City Area United Way can be found on Facebook and Instagram. Follow along and learn more about them and the agencies they support!