What we’re grateful for in 2021

Whether it’s through donating time, treasure or other resources, we are so grateful for the many ways our community has stepped up to help us build a better St. Louis region. Our neighbors and our region face many challenges, but when we come together, we can make an incredible and meaningful difference. Here are some reasons why we at United Way are grateful for YOU!

You helped students thrive

Throughout the year, you’ve shown the love that you have for our community’s children in various ways, including helping address the digital divide that became evident amongst local students during the COVID-19 crisis.

Early on, we saw children from low-income households struggle to meet the demands that came with virtual learning. More digital resources were needed for kids to keep up in school and some students didn’t have access to tools like laptops, Internet and hardware. Thanks to our community’s generous support, we were able to help bridge that gap. With financial support from United Way, dozens of nonprofits across the region were able to provide the tools and resources for students and young people to succeed in virtual schooling and beyond.

When students made the transition back to in-person learning, your generosity didn’t stop. This past summer, United Way’s de Tocqueville Society members collected nearly 100 backpacks filled with school supplies for elementary and middle school students.

As a community, you helped provide the resources and opportunities to ensure that our kids were prepared for their bright futures.

You made sure families had their basic needs met

Hunger and food insecurity have long been a pressing issue in the St. Louis region and the impacts of COVID-19 have only exacerbated this issue. Providing food to families across our region became a critical need, and our community stepped up to answer the call.

United Way’s safety net nonprofits, our corporate partners and local neighbors joined together to host food collection drives and giveaways to help tackle the hunger crisis. Despite strict health and safety guidelines, we saw people donate food and volunteer to be food delivery drivers, cooks, servers and everything in between.

You showed up to volunteer

Throughout the year we saw people selflessly step up and volunteer their time and resources to help the community in various ways, expecting nothing in return. Our community found new and creative ways to volunteer and help meet whatever needs there were.

You helped us paint residential facilities, provide care and support for seniors, organize outreach efforts that brought awareness to health and safety issues, you participated in events that helped people in need, and so much more. Over the course of the year, we saw over 21,000 people lend a helping hand to various projects and initiatives.

Thank you

These efforts do not go unnoticed, and no matter what your contributions were, from the bottom of our hearts, we want to say thank you for everything you’ve done.

We wouldn’t be able to help the community as much as we do without your support. Our mission is to help people live their best possible lives, and in order to do that, we need the generous will of the people, because wherever there’s people, there’s power.

Take Action Now

• Make a difference this holiday season with four ways to give back.
• Your support is helping real people in our community.
• Share this story with family and friends.