Heart of Maine United Way

Opportunity 2028 - through the community granting process, 40 community- based programs impact the lives of 27,000+ residents across our six-county region. As the largest private funder in the area, homeuw manages 717,500 in grants for 40 programs to meet basic needs and promote self-sufficiency; prevent, treat and support recovery from substance use disorder; and ensure that all children have quality early learning experiences. Additionally, 90,000+ residents of our six-county region are served through one of our many homeuw initatives. In all, homeuw helps support 1-in-3 of our neighbors each year. The community mapping process allows homeuw to identify the areas in which it has a unique position to leverage relationships and community resources to create solutions through collective impact. These ongoing community conversations led homeuw to evolve their community impact work through a collective impact plan known as opportunity 2028. These are issues that have multiple causes and can't be solved with a quick-fix solution. Homeuw works to address the issue at its core. With donors, volunteers, and like-minded organizations, United Way coordinates efforts around clear goals to create lasting change that will improve lives and community conditions today and for future generations. The goals of opportunity 2028 include: meeting basic needs and promoting self-sufficiency by moving 10,746 people out of poverty by 2028 preventing, treating and supporting recovery from substance use disorder, eliminating deaths due to substance use disorder by 2028. Assuring that all children have quality early learning experiences by increasing the percent of children reading proficiently at the end of third grade to 58% by 2028.

211 - homeuw supports 2-1-1 Maine for the 5-county area it serves. 2-1-1 is a comprehensive statewide directory of over 10,000 health and human services available in Maine. The toll free 2-1-1 hotline is confidential and anonymous and connects callers to trained call specialists who can help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Finding the answers to health and human services questions and locating resources is as quick and easy as dialing 2-1-1, texting your zip code to 898-211, or by visiting 211maine.org. 211 provides homeuw with up-to-date data around community needs and unmet needs on a monthly basis. While call volume and type vary from month to month the top call categories for the past several years have included heating assistance, utilities assistance, housing, basic needs-food, mental health services, health care/health insurance, and substance abuse services. Call volume spikes for heating assistance september through march with heating assistance calls often making up 60 - 70% of the calls. Additionally, 211 receives calls for seasonal service needs (thanksgiving and christmas), tax services (january-march), and weather-related disasters (i.e. Ice storms).

Volunteerism - through an online database (volunteerme.unitedway.org) volunteers are matched to meaningful opportunities throughout the region. Additionally, volunteerme offers capacity building and technical support for agencies that utilize volunteers by providing regular training opportunities, volunteer management resources and peer to peer networking. Homeuw is also responsible for coordinating an annual week of action to assist nonprofits in the region with one-day service projects that they otherwise may not have the capacity to complete.

Others - neighbors United - this initiative leverages homeuw's connections in the business and nonprofit sectors to help provide needed supplies to residents across our six-counties. Homeuw works with nonprofits and businesses to connect those in need of supplies with those willing to donate the needed items through our neighbors United drives. In the last year, homeuw helped our neighbors in need obtain over 75,000 worth of goods (diapers, socks, toothbrushes, school supplies etc.) Via donations and neighbors United drives. Singlecare - United Way is the official partner of singlecare community service partnership. Homeuw distributes pharmacy discount cards at no charge to organizations and individuals. Singlecare cards save roughly 500,000 annually in prescription costs for nearly 4,000 individuals. Fuel assistance fund -this initiative provides small grants that help families stay safe through the winter by providing funds for emergency heating assistance, energy audits, winterization, weatherization, and hands-on training in energy savings methods. In the past year, this program provided 30,000 in grants to non-profits in homeuw's service area to help local families and individuals in need of emergency assistance. Food security - homeuw has had a long-standing focus on food security through programs like the fema emergency food & shelter program (efsp), the national association of letter carriers (nalc) food drive, and homeuw's food drives. Homeuw is committed to raising the resources necessary to meet the immediate food security needs for the region while addressing the underlying causes of hunger and working with partners to strengthen the food security network. Homeuw administered over 200,000 in federal efsp aide to organizations within penobscot & somerset county in the last year. Over the past 10 years the nalc food drive has generated over 1 million pounds of food, translating into nearly 825,000 meals valued over 1.9 million dollars. The bundle project -bundle is a collaborative community- based project dedicated to connecting and supporting families in the Maine highlands and focused on the well-being of young children, expecting parents, and caregivers. This project combines a user-friendly website with a community-based effort, making it easier for families to access the support they need. As part of the bundle project, every newborn and their caregiver across the Maine highlands will receive 4 bundle boxes at their healthcare provider. Each bundle box contains carefully selected items that cater to the age-appropriate developmental needs of the child, and the wellbeing of the caregiver. While bundle originated in the Maine highlands community, our vision is for other communities to implement the bundle project and provide a positive impact on families across the state and country.