"Building relationships to support our community with

collaboration, compassion and purpose."

This year’s Christmas Bureau was another example of the power of collaboration by non-profits and public agencies in Catawba County. 

In 2023, the program reached 812 families, representing 2,141 youth, including ages 0 – 18. The event was held at the Hickory Furniture Mart on Dec. 12 and 13 as a drive thru for families.

The Christmas Bureau is an annual effort by dozens of local organizations along with hundreds of volunteers who pool their resources to provide toys, clothing, food and coats to children and teenagers during the Christmas season.

And the Christmas Bureau has a lot of moving parts, going from periodic meetings starting in January to distribution days in December.

Toys are gathered through The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, Toys for Tots, and other individual donations while the Hickory Soup Kitchen makes sure every family receives a Food Lion gift card. Coats are collected at local dry cleaners and other sites throughout the county.

The Hickory Fire Department helps provide bikes for the event (450 this year), while Century Furniture helps purchase tricycles.

The Catawba County United Way Teen Christmas program makes sure teens ages 13-18 are not forgotten. This requires seeking donations from the public and community organizations like Rotary Clubs, businesses, schools and churches. Shurtape Technologies is also a significant supporter of the CCUW’s Teen Christmas program.

The primary committee partners for the 2023 Catawba County Christmas Bureau included: Catawba Co. Sheriff's Dept., Catawba Co. Partnership for Children, Catawba Co. Dept. of Social Services, Catawba County United Way, Catawba County School district, City of Hickory Fire Dept., Catawba County United Way Teen Christmas, Eastern Catawba Cooperative Christian Ministry, Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry, Hickory Soup Kitchen, Hickory Public School district, Marine Toys for Tots, Newton-Conover City School district, The Salvation Army of Greater Hickory and Safe Kids Catawba Co.



Applications for 2024 will be taken in October. To learn more about the Christmas Bureau, call the Catawba County United Way at 828-327-6851.

MORE PHOTOS.

Thank You...Thank You - The K-5 Sunday School Classes at First Presbyterian Church in Hickory donated 30 bags for the Catawba County United Way's Blessings Box. They contained personal hygiene products, snack food and winter hats and gloves.

In the Photo (from left): CCUW Blessings Box volunteer coordinator Lauren Hall, First Presbyterian Sunday School teacher Jennifer Isaac and CCUW Dir. of Operations Kelle Love.

To learn more about this United Way outreach call 828-327-6851.

For many years, Catawba County United Way agency Exodus Homes has received applications for Christmas gifts for children of incarcerated parents in prison through Prison Fellowship, a national organization that provides special programs to incarcerated people. Parents in prison fill out the applications and Prison Fellowship sends those applications to programs like Exodus Homes for children who live in their area. This year Exodus Homes received close to 350 applications for children who live in Catawba, Caldwell, Lincoln, and Burke counties. 

Volunteers from Exodus Homes and Exodus Missionary Outreach Church have been busy working with local churches, businesses, and individuals who have taken applications, and this week hundreds of gifts have flooded the Exodus Homes offices for distribution to the caregivers of the children.

The effort to sort, wrap, and shop for gifts is coordinated by Marty Propst, a member of Exodus Missionary Outreach United Church of Christ, along with residents of Exodus Homes and other members of the church.

"Children's faces light up with joy when they get a gift from their parent in prison - that is Christmas for me," Exodus Homes Executive Director Rev. Reggie Longcrier said.

For more information about the Exodus Homes Angel Tree program please contact the Rev. Susan Smith at 828-962-8196 or revsusansmith@gmail.com.  



We've all heard the phrase - "It takes a village," and in the non-profit world it's true. The Catawba County United Way enjoys building relationships with its community partners and sees how much greater our impact is because of our collective efforts every day.

Below are some upcoming programs and events from just a few of those partners...please share, and if you're interested, the Catawba County Interagency Council meets the second Thursday every month at the United Way office - 2760 Tate Blvd SE in Hickory.

Call 828-327-6851 for more information or email jbailey@ccunitedway.com.

We wish everyone a safe and blessed holiday season.

Thank You to everyone who helps our staff reach out to those in need throughout our county every day.

Thank You to our CCUW Board members.

Thank You to all our corporate partners.

Thank You to everyone who donates to our annual campaign or any of our annual drives.

Thank You to all our volunteers.

And Thank You to all of our community and funded partners.

The staff at the Catawba County United Way are honored to work with all of you.

• Sylvia, Mark, John, Kelle and Shanna.

The United Way understands that the holiday season can be difficult for many--for those whose budgets are stretched, are missing family members, or dealing with other emotional stressors. NC 211 is available 24/7/365 to connect you to local resources. Call us at 2-1-1 or 1-888-892-1162.

Catawba County United Way is one of several community partners who help fund this program every year.