Dear Friends of United Way,
As the saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers,” and so does the opportunity for our community to come together to support the annual United Way of Story County LIVE UNITED Food Drive.
This year marks the 12th anniversary of our county-wide effort to combat hunger in our communities. With over 20 local food pantries in our network, the LIVE UNITED Food Drive plays a vital role in ensuring that critical resources reach those who need them most. From canned goods to monetary support, every donation stays local and makes a meaningful difference in the lives of our neighbors facing food insecurity.
One of the most inspiring aspects of the food drive is the way it mobilizes our caring volunteers. These dedicated individuals, including students, families, community members, and business leaders, give their time and energy to collect, sort, and distribute donations, ensuring that the food drive runs smoothly and efficiently. Their passion and commitment are truly the heart of this initiative, and we are grateful for their invaluable contributions.
I urge each of you to consider how you can contribute. Whether through donating non-perishable food items to our many LIVE UNITED Food Drive drop-off locations, or making a monetary donation, every contribution counts. For more information, please visit www.uwstory.org/live-united-food-drive. Donations are accepted through Thursday, May 2.
On another note, I am thrilled to welcome the newest addition to our team, Sarah Mansell. Sarah joins us this week as the Associate Director of Community Impact, bringing with her a wealth of experience and a passion for serving our community. With her background in direct service and management roles, including her work with The Community Academy and nearly two decades of experience in homeless prevention, housing, and community leadership, Sarah is poised to make a lasting impact on our organization's efforts to support financial literacy and related initiatives. Please join me in welcoming Sarah to our team!
Additionally, I would like to share an exciting opportunity within our organization. We are currently seeking candidates for the role of Associate Director of Engagement. This position will work closely with longtime United Way leader Kristin Pates to support our annual workplace campaign, corporate volunteer engagement, and the growth of our Young Leaders Society (YLS) affinity group. If you or someone you know is interested in joining our team, please visit www.uwstory.org/employment-opportunities to learn more about this role and share with your colleagues and networks.
Thank you for your unwavering commitment to Living United and making our community a better place for all.
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Health
709 individuals were provided crisis intervention and supportive services.*
*FY23
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Education
6,986 underserved learners were reached with programming from our partner agencies.*
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Financial Stability
255 families were able to access child care with the use of sliding fee scales funded by UWSC.*
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Good Neighbor Emergency Assistance |
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Good Neighbor's Navigator, Cari, first met with Ann in October 2022 at the start of the Navigator Program. After interviewing Ann, Cari found that she might be eligible for Social Security, which itself is a long and drawn-out process. Meanwhile, to help Ann stay in her home, Cari helped her apply for CIRHA (Section 8 housing), and offered rent and utility assistance. Good Neighbor's rent and utility assistance is a life raft in a situation like this, aimed more at keeping someone's "head above water" for the short term. Cari also helped Ann complete and submit her application for Social Security.
Over the next year and a half, Good Neighbor continued to assist Ann, offering her gas assistance to help her get to a new job or emergency phone, food, or rent and utility assistance while the Social Security application worked its way through the system.
In March 2023, Ann's initial application for Social Security was denied, which unfortunately is not uncommon for the first application. Cari continued to work with Ann on her appeal. She helped Ann identify a lawyer who would help Ann out and even wrote a letter of support for Ann to assist with the appeal process. In October 2023, Ann was approved for CIRHA and completed the housing inspection in November. She moved into a new house in December and through an emergency voucher program, the landlord was incentivized to make specific improvements to the property that would help Ann live a better quality of life than she had been living.
On March 6, 2024, about a year and a half after Cari had helped Ann file for Social Security, her appeal was finally approved, and Ann had a steady and reliable source of income for the first time in a very long time. That same day, she also began her new job as an Assistant Rural Mail Carrier for the USPS.
The Social Security Administration will continue to review Ann's case and determine if she is eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance. Cari anticipates helping her file for both Medicaid and Medicare as well. While they will continue to help Ann out for the foreseeable future, she is finally getting her finances in order, improving her quality of life, and getting back on her own two feet. Cari's assistance has made an incredible difference in Ann's life.
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Why It Matters
19.6% of the Story County population lives below the poverty level.* Good Neighbor Emergency Assistance exists to support individuals who find themselves facing urgent and critical needs like hunger and housing. United Way funds the emergency rent and utility assistance program as well as emergency food vouchers at Good Neighbor. These programs help lift individuals out of immediate need and create a clearer, brighter path forward.
*(American Community Survey, 2022)
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The LIVE UNITED Food Drive is coming to a close TOMORROW! You have just over 24 hours to contribute donated items to one of the collection sites in our community, all donations going to local food pantries and programs. If you can't make it to a site, monetary donations are accepted through Friday (we won't discriminate on late donations!) and will be totaled and distributed early next week. Help us beat last year's efforts and STOP HUNGER in our community! Click below to donate online or give through Venmo by scanning the QR code above, it only takes a minute! |
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Introducing, Sarah Mansell! |
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As Ashley noted above, today marks day one for our newest member of the team, Sarah Mansell! For those of you familiar with our partners, you may have seen Sarah around as she was formerly the Associate Director at The Community Academy in Ames. We're thrilled to welcome her to the team! Sarah will work largely on our direct service initiatives such as Wheels for Work, the VITA program, Women United, our LIVE UNITED Food Drive, and will also convene community collaborations like our Hunger Collaboration! No matter how you're connected, you'll definitely see her show up in different facets of our our work, so be sure to welcome her to United Way! |
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United Way is looking for an Associate Director of Engagement to build relationships with a diverse group of donors and volunteers to improve the quality of life in our community. More than just a job, it is a chance to educate community members about local needs and solutions, rally resources, inspire action, and transform lives across Story County. Your work will bring together donors and volunteers to invest in United Way of Story County’s mission, including young philanthropists through engagement with the Young Leaders Society affinity group. For the full job description, click here. Please share with your colleagues and friends!
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April 22 - May 2 - LIVE UNITED Food Drive
May 4 - Step Into Storybooks, North Grand Mall, 10am-1pm
May 7 - Story County Reads/SCCAN Meeting, Ames Public Library, RSVP to Anneke at amundel@uwstory.org
May 10 - UWSC Partner Agency Meeting
May 16 - Hunger Collaboration, UWSC office, 3pm (Zoom option)
SAVE THE DATE! Aug 9 - Golf Fore Kids, Ames Golf & Country Club
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