It has so far been a challenging year for the United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin.
A total of $1.5 million was distributed to 51 programs in the first round of 2024. But according to executive director Glenna Banda, that is one of the lowest amounts that they have distributed as an organization.
“That has been the result of a decline in fundraising since the pandemic,” she said. “But we are really proud of what we were able to do. It meant that we had to take a community-centred and critical look at what we are funding.”
The recent UWGWD fundraising campaign generated $2.54 million in donations. Banda acknowledged back in February that 2023 was a difficult one for fundraising.
“Many people are focusing their income on the basic expenses such as food and rent so they have been pulling back on donating.”
As donations were down, community agencies, such as food banks and shelters, have seen an increase in the use of their services. That meant the United Way had to decide which areas that are in critical need of funding need the money.
“We use an approach where we engage with those who are close to the issue,” Banda said. “People with lived experience, those who are working on the front lines to assess what the most urgent needs are and how to use the dollars most effectively.”
One of the programs receiving funding from the United Way this year is the Sanguen Health Centre. They were able to use the money to keep their community van open.
In a news release, the centre’s director of community programs, Lindsay Sprague, said the support allows them to “continue to offer nursing care, social support, peer support and harm reduction support to individuals within Guelph and throughout Wellington County at a time when so many community members are in need.”
Other new programs that were in this round of funding include Art Not Shame, Ball 4 All, the Arab Women’s Society of Guelph, and the Orangeville Food Bank.
“The more that we can raise awareness about the needs and the opportunities that we have to respond and address them in order to garner more donations and put that money to work is really important right now,” said Banda.
Banda is hopeful that by continuing to work with their community partners, the United Way will be able to help more organizations with fewer resources.
“We need to collectively step up and determine how we can respond to these urgent needs in different ways.”
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