Photo courtesy of UWCA.
Children taking part in a summer food program sponsored by United Way of Central Alabama hold bags of food. The UWCA raised $36,250,000 for social services in its 2021 annual campaign.
The United Way of Central Alabama raised a total of $36,250,000 for social services in Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair and Walker counties during its 98th annual campaign, which ended in December.
The top individual campaigns were conducted by Alabama Power Company, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama and Regions Bank, according to a UWCA news release.
Those three contributors raised a combined total of $11 million. The UWCA kicked off its fundraising season with the Pacesetter Campaign, with participation from several local businesses that raised about $10.3 million dollars.
In addition, about 900 volunteers contributed 26,000 hours to the sixmonth campaign, said John Martin Sr., UWCA vice president of resource development.
Several campaign participants received awards for the amount of money they raised and their service for the campaign.
Those honorees included Hatton Smith, CEO of Back Forty Beer Company; Matt Schrecongost, a manager at Protective Life Corporation; Mallie Ireland and Stewart Dansby; Chad Fitch, a biologist at Alabama Power; Yvette Harper, a marketing communications specialist at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama; and Elizabeth Campbell with Encompass Health.
In January, the UWCA resumed daily hot meal deliveries for homebound seniors in Jefferson County as part of its Meals on Wheels program. Meals transitioned from daily to weekly delivery with the advent of the COV ID-19 pandemic.
"We are thrilled to return to hot meals," MOW Director Becky Wright said in a UWCA news release. "For many seniors, the delivery volunteer is the only person they may see during the day." To volunteer to be an MOW driver, go to mowjeffco.org/volunteer.
Jesse Chambers contributed to this report.
