United Way NWT hopes to do more than ever for northern non-profits as the organization prepares to hand out a record cash sum in its latest campaign.
Thanks to increased payroll giving from northern employees, United Way has around $150,000 in its 2015 fund.
The organization launched this year’s campaign on Wednesday, promising to help dozens of northern charities and groups.
“Last year we hoped to give out $65,000 but, because of additional fundraising, we gave out $92,000 to about 20 different non-profits,” United Way NWT chair Tracy St Denis told Moose FM.
“This year, we’re actually going to have $150,000 available for non-profits to apply on.”
That’s the largest sum in United Way’s 15 years working in the Northwest Territories, according to St Denis.
How to apply: Funding info from United Way NWT
Examples of last year’s beneficiaries include the Hay River soup kitchen and the Foster Family Coalition, based in Yellowknife.
“We have a camp down the Ingraham Trail for youth involved with social services between the ages of seven and 18,” explained Tammy Roberts, the coalition’s executive director.
“It’s a very rustic camp and we used money from United Way to update our kitchen. We now have some really nice propane fridges and a stove that help us to keep our programming running without coming back to town during the week-long camp.”
Federal and territorial government employees both help United Way through payroll giving, as do local banks and other employers. A United Way committee then reviews applications from non-profits and distributes those payroll giving funds according to need.
“The money people give through payroll really does impact non-profits across the NWT,” said St Denis. “It helps neighbours and friends.”
