United Way taps unmet needs from power outage

United Way of Moore County recently helped the community during the power outage in December.

“One of the tasks for United Way is finding out what unmet needs are in the community, and that’s what we did with the latest project we undertook,” comments United Way of Moore County President, Linda Pearson. “In partnership with Lowe’s Foods and thanks to a grant from Duke Energy Foundation, we were able to help a number of local child care centers in the county. Our mission with this project was to help with food cost recovery for those centers who lost food due to the power outage that impacted a large segment of Moore County back in December.”

One of United Way’s initiatives for the community includes children in the zero to 5-year-old age group, and after seeking information from United Way partner agencies about where United Way could help most, the United Way Board of Directors approved a plan to help care centers with children in that age group. “We didn’t want to rush and duplicate what was already being done in the community, so a lot of thought was put into what we ultimately decided,” said Board Chair, Kit McKinley.

Leslie Carson with Partners for Children & Families here in Moore County said, “We don’t always know what families are struggling with. Sometimes the meals served at these child care facilities might be the only meals they get that day. United Way’s support not only helped the facilities recover some of their food loss, but it also helped to ensure that the young children served have access to healthy nutritious meals while in care.”

Lisa Chavis owns Lisa’s Loveable Day Care I and II and was grateful to have received a Lowe’s Food Gift Card and to be able to restock their refrigerators and freezers after perishable food losses. She also commented on the importance of good nutrition for the children her centers serve.

“This was a segment of the community that had been adversely impacted when the lights went out for that extended time. Collaborating with Lowe’s Foods and Partners for Children & Families, United Way was able to help that demographic of the community,” adds McKinley. “We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank our donors and corporate partners for their continued support of United Way as we work to keep Moore County a better place for all people,” she concluded.  

Photo: Lisa Chavis shows some of the perishable items they were able to replace with the gift card her child daycare centers were issued.

Courtesy photo/Contributed.

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