United Way Guelph short on donations to support local services and programs

As this year comes to a close, Guelph United Way’s 2023 campaign is still short of its financial goal.

In a statement released on Thursday, the organization said that right now, there are still critical services in the community that are in need of support, many of which are funded by the organization.

The Guelph chapter said it is short of where it needs to be to support critical programs and services.

The local chapter recently opened funding applications to community organizations and the response was more than double of what is predicted to be able to distribute.

Glenna Banda, executive director of United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin, said without the community’s support, the services that are relied upon may not be there when someone in crisis needs them.

“Our community will look much different without our charitable sector there to support it,” Banda said.

In a recent State of the Sector survey by the Ontario Nonprofit Network, the demand from the nonprofit services has risen 29 per cent since 2020. At the same time, the financial situation of nonprofits across the province is in a downward spiral.

Throughout this month, United Way said it’ll match donations by a generous matching fund of more than $24,000. The fund is made possible thanks to the United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin board of directors.

Donations are being accepted either at the Guelph office, workplaces in the Royal City or on the organization’s website.