MORGANTOWN, W.Va. The United Way of Mon and Preston Counties (MPC) has announced that approximately $1.2 million has been received as part of their annual fundraising campaign. The campaign involved several local organizations and fundraising events that took place throughout 2022 and into 2023. The funds will be used to help support over forty agencies and social services in Monongalia and Preston counties.
“We’re starting to really see that agencies do need more support than ever, and so we were happy to be able to raise that $1.2 million in our community,” said United Way MPC CEO Brandi Helms on the need for local support.
The United Way MPC is involved in social services in North Central West Virginia that range from after-school activities to supporting food pantries. According to Helms, the $1.2 million raised in their capital campaign will help provide funding for bulk-ordered supplies for food banks in Mon and Preston counties. Efforts such as the Healthy Harvest program, participation with Pantry Plus More, and an expansive food pantry at Hazel’s House of Hope in Morgantown will all see financial support.
“Those dollars have really gone to create what we would refer to as a food hub, out at Hazel’s House of Hope,” said Helms on WAJR’s Talk of the Town. “So we work with forty agencies in Mon and Preston Counties, and in Preston County, we actually use the Preston County Workshop as an outreach location,” she said.
Rental assistance, affordable housing opportunities, and a 211 operator to immediately assist in social services will also see funding as part of the $1.2 million campaign. To assist in the fundraising efforts, the United Way MPC got support from the wives of head coaches at WVU (Brooke Brown, Amanda Mazey, Kate Covich, and Lindsay Hammond, respectively) to find new ways to receive funding for the campaign. This includes exposure to more corporate partners and increased public knowledge of events that took place during the campaign.
“They really wanted to have an impact in the community, and you know their families and them individually, and they volunteered throughout the year,” Helms said of the four WVU coaching wives and how they helped the campaign. “And you know, they really brought this campaign to light,” she said.
With a combination of federal and state grant funding to go along with the $1.2 million, Helms said the United Way MPC will be able to account for the $2.1 million needed to fully fund and operate their programs. She also stated that there will be several opportunities for the community to get involved in 2023, with volunteer activities and community events planned into May. For the United Way MPC, any bit of charity will be used to support the community.
“We talk a lot about the financial contributions, but people have their voice; they can lend it to an issue that they want to advocate for,” said Helms on the ways the community can support the United Way MPC. “They have talents and skills that agencies need, and I think that’s a way for that person to really feel like they made a contribution to the community,” she said.
You can find more information on upcoming events, fundraisers, and ways to volunteer at www.unitedwaympc.org.