United Way of Greater Toledo has announced the United for the Holidays program for the 2024 holiday season. For the third year in a row, United Way is partnering with the Islamic Food Bank and Grace Community Center, and for the first time, with Brown Bag Food Project in Bowling Green and BCS Food Pantry in Oak Harbor.
This annual program brings together corporate sponsors, over 200 volunteers, and community partners to assemble more than 500 holiday boxes filled with two weeks’ worth of food for a family of four.
In United Way of Greater Toledo’s service area of Lucas, Ottawa, and Wood counties, 40% of families live at or below the ALICE threshold (asset-limited, income-constrained, and employed.) These families live paycheck to paycheck, and financial difficulties are exacerbated by rising inflation and escalating utility expenses.
The food boxes sponsored by United Way partners and packed by volunteers in our community will provide supplemental support to families for a happier holiday season.
“United Way of Greater Toledo embraces its role as a vital community resource that utilizes data, human capital, and financial support to address social challenges that cannot be resolved by any single donor, nonprofit, or government agency alone. Our mission extends beyond merely distributing holiday food boxes; it’s about linking individuals to the essential resources they need to thrive, and fostering connections between our corporate and community partners to effectively deliver those resources. This holiday food box initiative serves as a powerful opportunity to unite all segments of our community. We adopt a holistic perspective; providing families with access to groceries enables them to fulfill their financial obligations, including rent or mortgage payments, childcare, and healthcare expenses,” said Wendy Pestrue, CEO of United Way of Greater Toledo.
Food box packing events will be held through November, and boxes will be distributed to local partners that serve families in need throughout the region.
Sponsors whose support makes United for the Holidays possible are Stellantis, FedEx, Eastman & Smith, The Andersons Inc., Toledo Refining Company, FocusCFO, Hylant, Huntington Bank, Pat and MaryLouise Bowe, SSOE Group, UToledo Health, and Waterford Bank, N.A.
For anyone in need of a connection to food, shelter, educational support, or other local resources, United Way’s 211 information and referral line is available as a 24/7 call center, staffed by local, trained professionals who help address emergent needs as well as root causes of needs for assistance. Residents can reach 211 locally by calling 211, visiting 211nwo.org, or texting zip code to 898-211.
