United Way West Central Manitoba has kicked off its Portage la Prairie campaign, aiming to support eight local agencies while providing some services of their own.
In 2023, United Way was able to raise over $185,000. Those funds were split among the Bear Clan, Service for Seniors, Family Resource Centre, CMHA Central, Big Brothers Big Sisters Central Plains, CFS Central, Sunset Palliative Care, and the Portage Learning and Literacy Centre.
The campaign commenced with a flag-raising ceremony at City Hall, where campaign chair Preston Meier expressed hope of reaching a fundraising target of $229,000. He emphasized that every dollar raised in Portage will remain in the community.
"This is one of the largest fundraising goals the United Way has had within the Portage la Prairie area," explains Meier. "We need the dollars to be able to fund the organizations that are the very fabric of our community. That will let them continue to run the programs and provide a lot of the vital services that are needed."
He adds that they came up with their fundraising target based on last year's requests and where they finished last year regarding donation totals.
Community engagement coordinator with United Way West Central Manitoba Megan Romphf says they also like to provide services directly from United Way, including ways to help those just hovering above the poverty line.
"We have Financially Empowering Young Adults (FEYA) that will be rolling out in October along with Coats for Kids, which make sure that all kids stay warm and cozy as well as youth, adults and seniors," notes Romphf. "We assisted with over 174 families being warm last year through that program."
Another program they run is called Tools for School, which aims to ensure all students can perform their best in the classroom regardless of economic situation. Tools for School was also named a recipient of the funds raised from this year's Fuel Good Day, a campaign put on by Homestead Co-op where ten cents per litre of gas would be donated to several local organizations.