Your Community Needs You...

“It is kind of like having to choose between your children.”  This was a statement that was made by  It really was an accurate statement.  Requests to United Way for 2016 totaled almost $682,000 and with $530,000 available to grant, it made for some very difficult decisions.  So how do the volunteers decide?  Through an extensive process of application reviews and interviews and deliberations individuals representing local businesses are the ones who determine the amount of funding for programs applying for United Way funding.  A number of factors weigh into the decision making process.  Including:  How critical is this service for our community?  Without United Way funding will this program cease to operate?  If United Way is supporting multiple programs for an agency can we afford to support all of the programs, or do we need to determine which program is most important for our community and focus our funding in that area?  How many people does this program impact?  What does the organization have available in reserves funds?  What are the outcomes for the program?  It really was a difficult process this year.  All of the programs that submitted applications are excellent programs that contribute to the quality of life in our community.  However, there was simply not enough money to fund all of the programs that applied for funding.

one of our thirty volunteers that were involved in allocating funds that were raised during the 2015 campaign to area non-profits.

During the fall United Way campaign, one of the things that we tell potential donors is that funding raised by the campaign stays local, and that the amount that is raised directly translates into what we have available to invest into our community.  It’s hard since donors all have programs and organizations that they want United Way to support, unfortunately there are just not enough resources to support all of the programs.  I hope that in the future when individuals are asked to support United Way they remember that there is a direct correlation between the amount United Way is able to raise in the community and the support of needed services.  Be generous!  Your community needs you!

Paula Jero, Executive Director

Marshfield Area United Way

The Value of a Dollar

Recently, I stumbled upon an article online, “What $1 Used to Get You vs. What It Buys You Today,” (mashable.com). Here are a few highlights from the article:

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          1808:  two pounds of coffee
2014:  3 ounces of coffee (and not from Starbucks either)

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          1941:  four movie tickets
2014:  ¼ of a movie theatre bottle of water

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          1955:  4 burgers, 1 milkshake, 1 soda and 1 fry from McDonald’s
2014:  1 small fry

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          1973:  10 Hershey bars
2014:  5/6 of a Hershey bar

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          1998:  1 gallon of gas
2014:  1 pine tree car air freshener

Needless to say, the dollar can’t buy you as much today as it once did, but your dollar here at United Way is still incredibly valuable. For just one dollar, United Way can provide a weekend food pack to a child facing food insecurity in his/her home. And, your donation of one dollar per week can do so much more, including this year, give you a chance to win some cold, hard cash.

With the generosity of several sponsors (Central City Credit Union, Thornton Trucking, and V&H Trucks), United Way will be giving out four $1000 cash prizes to donors to this year’s United Way Campaign through the GIVE & WIN Sweepstakes.

Two ways to be get entered to win include:  any donor making a contribution of $1 per week (annual gift of $52) to the Marshfield Area United Way campaign in 2015 is automatically entered into the Give & Win Sweepstakes for 50 chances to win,  and any Marshfield Area United Way donor who gave at least $52 or more to last year’s campaign and increases his or her gift by $1 or more in 2015 will double their odds and automatically be entered into the Give & Win Sweepstakes for 100 chances to win.

For official rules and to find out how to make your donation to Marshfield Area United Way, please visit marshfieldareaunitedway.org. Qualifying donations must be received by 4:00 pm on November 30, 2015.

Ashley Winch, Marketing & Campaign Coordinator
Marshfield Area United Way

Join Us For Campaign Kick-off September 8th

What:  2014 United Way Campaign Kick-off
When:  Monday, September 8, 2014, @ 5:00 p.m.
Where:  RiverEdge
             10191 County Highway B
             Marshfield, WI 54449
Cost:  Suggested $5 donation

Please join us Monday, September 8, 2014, at RiverEdge to help us kick-off our annual fall campaign. A cash bar and food sampling will begin at 5:00 pm. Dinner will begin at 5:20 pm with a program to follow. 2014 United Way Campaign Drive Chairs, Beth & Brian Kief will lead the program and there will be a guest speaker to talk about her experience on Wisconsin’s FoodShare program. The kick-off will also serve as an
introduction to a community-wide invitation to take the SNAP Challenge this October.

On Any Given Day at United Way

Last week we had our intern keep count of all of the individuals and phone calls that we received in a single day at United Way.  The results surprised me.  I know our office is a busy place, but even I underestimated how many people we come into contact with on a single day.  So what does a typical day look like at United Way?  We had 53 individuals visit our office and 17 phone calls.  

The visits included 35% of the individuals coming to our office seeking assistance with securing employment either by using the Job Center or for an interview that a local employer was conducting.  An additional 35% of the individuals came to our office for United Way programs, including Backpack and School Supplies, Nutrition on Weekends and the Keep Kids Warm program.  The remaining 30% of the individuals were seeking services such assistance with food or rent assistance from North Central Community Action, or came to our office for their W-2 case management appointments. 

When I began with United Way we had probably five people a month walk into office.  There are days when I have to admit the five people a month would be nice, but it doesn’t fulfill our mission. Everyone deserves opportunities to achieve a quality education that leads to a stable job, family-sustaining income through all of life’s stages, good health and a safe home. That's why Marshfield Area United Way focuses on the building blocks of a good life: education, income and health. 

On any given day in our office, you can see the work of United Way donor dollars and our mission at work. Whether it’s supporting school readiness through the backpack & school supply drive, providing income supports through North Central Community Action Program, increasing the health or well-being of child through the Nutrition on Weekends program. All of these things (education, income, and health) are intertwined and all are improving the overall quality of life in the Marshfield area. It takes an entire community to make a difference. Last year, because of you and United Way, more than 15,000 individuals in and around the Marshfield area received support from United Way programs and initiatives. Your generosity is making a difference in our community.

Paula Jero, Executive Director
Marshfield Area United Way

Have you heard? Brian and Beth Kief Named 2014 Campaign Drive Chairs

Marshfield Area United Way is pleased to announce Brian and Beth Kief as the Drive Chairs for the 2014 United Way Campaign. The Kief’s will lead the annual fall campaign in the community and help United Way in an effort to reach the $830,000 goal set by United Way’s Board of Directors this Spring.

Though the Kief’s have lived in Marshfield for a short while, they feel compelled to ‘pay it forward’ since being so well-received in the community. “We have only been in Marshfield for five years and it seems there are so many other outstanding people in Marshfield.  In the end, though, we said yes because of how we feel about Marshfield; how welcoming so many people have been to us and we believe that United Way is the premier safety net organization in our community.”

Brian is the President of Ministry Saint Joseph’s Hospital and Beth is a former Physical Education/Health Education teacher who is now an active volunteer in the community. Brian and Beth have two children, Jared and Anna. Jared is a student at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO, and Anna will be a senior this fall at Marshfield Senior High.

The Kief’s are long-time supporters of United Way and learned at an early age the importance of volunteering and giving back to their community. In fact, Brian’s mother was a Campaign Drive Chair for United Way in the early 1980s.

Throughout the campaign this fall, the Kief’s hope to broaden the base of people who are aware of the needs in the community and are willing to engage in finding solutions. “A strength of United Way is to identify organizations in the community that not only help people through a crisis or difficult time but also help them attain skills and identify resources to become self-sustaining members of the community.  As a result, every dollar given to the United Way has a multiplier effect in terms of how it helps people,” said Brian.

When asked what needs they have seen in the community that have surprised or left an impression on them, Brian and Beth were surprised in two ways. “Every individual has a story and a unique life experience that has created their situation of needing help from community organizations.  We are surprised at how often members of our Central Wisconsin communities find themselves in need of help.  What surprises us even more is the amazing commitment and the loving care shown by the people who work and volunteer in the various agencies.  They are role models and inspiration for us all.”

Food For Thought...Expired Food Donations Are Costly

All donated food in these boxes expired in 2013 or before.

Did you participate in this month’s Post Office Food Drive?  If you did, Thank You!  If you didn’t donate expired food, I thank you even more.  The Post Office Food Drive, also known as the National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive collected 16,202 pounds of food on Saturday, May 10^th in Marshfield.  Sounds wonderful, right?  Unfortunately, 13% or 2106 pounds of the food had expiration dates that required the pantries to throw out those items and an additional 4600 pounds or 28% of the donations had expiration dates of the first 6 months of 2014.  The food that is recently expired can be offered to individuals and families on a take on your own risk basis, but can’t be used to fill food orders at the pantries.  As a result, 41% of the food is unusable by the pantries. 

Expired food is a part of every food drive, and instead of helping it creates a new problem, a 2100 pound problem to be exact.   As I am writing this I have a few ”visuals” sitting on my desk: a box of Macaroni and Cheese that expired on December 17^th 1999; a dust covered can of Cream of Broccoli soup that expired in February of 1997; and the big winner (drumroll please) a can of Refried Beans that expired the year after I graduated from high school – hint, I graduated from high school in 1978!  These “winning” food items and their 2100 pound brethren have been hauled and carried and sorted.  They have consumed manpower, gasoline costs and will cost the food pantries yet again for a garbage dumpster as they now have to dispose of these items.  

Expired food also costs in perception since the food panties will report on the amount of pounds of food collected and 16,202 pounds sounds pretty awesome right?  It sounds like the food pantries are well stocked?  This year’s Boy Scout Food Drive brought in half of the amount of food then the previous year’s drive and 25% of that food was expired.  End result, our pantries will need donations to help them through to the next major community collection which is Winter Wonderland in November.  So please consider donating to your favorite food pantry this summer.  And while you are at it, could you be sure it’s not an expired donation?

Paula Jero, Executive Director

Marshfield Area United Way