Charitable Union

The Charitable Union has maintained its mission of helping children and families in need through many economic cycles. Clients receive benefits from a wide range of services all free of charge. Through prosperous and more challenging times the agency is fueled by passionate volunteers who give of their time, talents and money.

Our central effort is to ensure that school children have clothing, shoes, socks, coats and a blanket for their bed. Twice a year school packets are give out which include new underwear and socks, new or gently used pants, shirts, dresses or skirts.

Most of the kids clothing is donated but dollars from fundraising efforts help us purchase other needed items. Additional services include career wear and back to work apparel for adults, steel-toed boots for work re-entry, layettes for at-risk infants, bedding and blankets for families and emergency clothing and household items for fire victims. All of these items are donated.

We accept donations of clothing and small household items including bedding at our back door on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  The items are sorted and arranged in a “store” that last year served over 9,350 school children and individuals with just over of 454,000 items being distributed. The estimated value of these items is $5.4 million dollars.

Volunteers are a very important asset and make it possible for Charitable Union to carry out our mission. The estimated value of the 32,000 volunteer hours donated in 2007 exceeds $590,454. These figures are based on the latest Department of Labor calculations.

The task is even more miraculous given that the total annual budget of the Charitable Union is just under $500,000.  The actual dollar cost of this essential service to our community is about $1 per item distributed.  A little over 66% of the budget is funded by United Way, grants and fund raising events.  We have relied on individuals and businesses in the community to make up the rest.

In the current economic environment the need is growing at the  same time that funding sources are shrinking. There are many ways you can help, whether you make a contribution to the 1887 Society of Caring Annual Fund Drive or you sponsor a bowling team in August you are “priming the pump” for the next generation.  The power of many cannot be underestimated.  The need is great and no donation is too small.

Kim Tabor, President