I am often asked, what is United Way? What does United Way do? The answer is both simple and complex. At its most basic, United Way is THE organization in our community which works to make sure that all other non-profits, in particular those providing human services, have what they need to be successful. What this means is that we focus on bringing together nonprofits and the community around the critical issues of health, education, and financial stability, since these are after all the building blocks of a good life. We do so by identifying needs, using data, and supporting programs with a proven track record of making a measurable difference.

A few examples: 1) If a family becomes homeless, perhaps through no fault of their own, we help fund programs such as transitional housing to help stabilize them, put a roof over their heads, and help them to once again become self-sufficient, or 2) If a student is missing school and needs dental care, a United Way funded partner program is there to ensure that they can get the care they need, or 3) If a family needs access to affordable childcare, there are United Way funded preschool and after school programs which help make sure that kids learn and stay safe in a nurturing educational environment, or 4) If a family member needs an adult day program for social and emotional support, or if a homebound senior needs food, or if it is time to die with dignity in hospice care… these are all programs supported by you and your United Way. In fact, every year over 25 different programs in our community are supported by United Way in what we call the “safety net,” which really just means that people have the supports necessary to not fall through the cracks and are able to lift themselves up.

Of course, during the pandemic, the mission of United Way was still to support our community in these ways, but more importantly to find creative and innovative solutions to fighting hunger, keeping the community healthy and safe, and supporting the critical educational needs of students. And it has been quite a busy year and a half, including that 1) We recruited volunteers to distribute over 100 thousand grab-and-go meals to local students who no longer were able to eat in school when the schools shut down, and 2) We created mobile food pantries throughout the community to get access to foods when local pantries were not able to meet the need and local transportation was not running, and 3) We invented a volunteer-driven grocery shopping and delivery system to get food to homebound quarantined families, and 4) We sourced critical PPE including thousands of face shields, hundreds of gallons of hand sanitizer and cleaning products, and over 1.7 million face masks, which were distributed to community partners as well as directly to the public, and 5) We distributed hundreds of wi-fi hot spots and well over 2,000 laptops to students so they could participate in their new virtual classrooms. And we got hundreds of computer monitors to teachers to run zoom classes. And we created a school supplies pantry to support families in gaining access to items like notebooks, technology, markers, backpacks, and all of the other things necessary to be a student. We even created a volunteer-driven tutoring program to support local students through pandemic driven learning challenges.

The list could really go on and on, but I am sure you get the point. United Way, like so many great local nonprofits, was there. And United Way will be there in the future to meet the needs of the community, regardless of what the needs may be; turning on a dime and doing what is needed most to support our community. We need your support to continue this 90 plus year of doing good in Greater Nashua. We would invite you to join us as a donor or join our army of helping and caring volunteers, or both. By working together, I’m sure that we can realize the vision of creating a community which is stronger, smarter, safer, healthier, and happier for all of us who live and work here. Please join us today! Because Great things happen when we LIVE UNITED.

Mike Apfelberg is president of United Way of Greater Nashua.