ALBERTVILLE, Ala. — It's a big day for United Way of Marshall County and the 22 agencies they're connected with. The organization set out for a campaign funding goal of $750,000 back in September, 2022.
On Thursday they shared, they exceeded their goal for a total of $753,180.
Steven Knowles, co-campaign chair for United Way of Marshall County, says, "We reach out and ask our employers through employer sponsored campaigns to make pledge contributions to the United Way. We use those funds and we allocate them through to about 22 different agencies that provide services to the friends, neighbors and partners in our community."
Carrie Thomas, Executive Director of United Way of Marshall County shares, "United Way brings the resources together of this community to support nonprofit agencies and programs that are addressing critical issues in our community…we are fortunate to have the social service and agencies and programs that we have in Marshall County. And I think that our community sees the importance of providing the support for those agencies and programs."
And United Way has a simple resource to connect people with the help they need.
It's known as the 24/7 hotline 211 and their call center took a total of 2,481 calls just last year.
"We are hearing community needs that start from basic needs like utility, rent assistance, food, shelter, those kinds of things. But we're also hearing of individuals that need help with child care, they need help with transportation, they're needing help with prescriptions," Thomas said.
Those community needs show United Way of Marshall County just how important their work is and for co-campaign chair, Cade Smith, he's seen a direct impact with Shepherd's Cove Hospice, that's personal to him.
"Last July, my grandmother was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. And so she was given, when she was diagnosed, about two weeks to live. And so she was immediately onboarded into a hospice patient and seeing the direct impact that United Way has on Shepherd's Cove Hospice was just eye opening to me."