A woman participating in a recent United We Sleep fundraiser bundles up in a cardboard box for the evening. This year's event is Oct. 14-15 at Nashua Community College. (Telegraph file photo)

NASHUA – The United Way of Greater Nashua has scheduled a pair of fundraising events for October, and organizers are reaching out to potential participants and any individuals, groups or companies that would like to help sponsor one or both events.

First on the calendar is the second annual Cornhole for a Cause fundraiser, which takes place from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Millyard Brewery, 25 East Otterson St. in Nashua.

Two weeks later, the United Way is hosting its 7th annual United We Sleep, a popular community sleepover event that raises awareness of homelessness as well as funds that help fuel the fight to end homelessness in the community.

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Cornhole for a Cause

A competitive tournament, the event is described as “family friendly” and is open to players of all levels of experience, from amateurs to seasoned competitors.

Proceeds from the event will provide additional funding for the United Way’s community investment (safety net) grants, which amount to about $400,000 per year.

The grants help fund local nonprofits that implement meaningful, measurable and accountable programs. They also “ensure opportunity for all by fighting for health, education, and financial stability on behalf of local people and families.

Anyone interested in joining in the competition, or being a sponsor for the event, can register at https://tinyurl.com/uwgncornhole22.

The tournament format is blind-draw double elimination. Two-person teams are guaranteed participation in at least two games.

The top three teams will each receive a trophy, along with “bragging rights.”

Registration fee for each 2-person team is $50. Sponsorships still available at the supporting level ($500) and the lane level ($100).

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United We Sleep

This year’s will be the 7th that the United Way of Greater Nashua has hosted one of its key fundraisers, United We Sleep, a unique event in which participants experience a night of homelessness by sleeping overnight with only cardboard boxes and similar materials as shelter.

The format, altered somewhat by the pandemic, has returned to normal, and will take place on the campus of Nashua Community College, 505 Amherst St., beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, through 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15.

United We Sleep has raised more than $365,000 to date, funds that support various local programs that “fight to break the cycle of poverty, hunger and homelessness.

Agencies and programs that benefit from the funds raised by United We Sleep include the youth-oriented programs of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Nashua; the housing programs offered at the Front Door Agency, Marguerite’s Place and Family Promise; educational programs such as those at the Adult Learning Center, and health access programs at the Adult Day Center and Dental Connection.

In all, 29 programs benefit from the funding, allowing clients to “access the building blocks of a good life – health, education and financial stability.”

United We Sleep is “deeply experiential, with all participants learning from community experts about the causes of homelessness and solutions” to those causes.

Over the years, between 50-70 participants have volunteered for United We Sleep, and organizers are hoping this year’s event draws the most yet.

For more about United We Sleep, go to https://unitedwaynashua.org/event/united-we-sleep.

For more on Cornhole for the Cause and the United Way in general, go to www.unitedwaynashua.org or contact info@unitedwaynashua.org or 882-4011.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.