Heart of Maine United Way

Opportunity 2028 - through the community granting process, 30 community- based programs impact the lives of 40,000+ residents across eastern Maine. As the largest private funder in the area, homeuw currently manages 659,791 in grants for 30 programs in 20 agencies to meet basic needs and promote self-sufficiency; prevent, treat and support recovery from substance use disorder; and ensure that all children have quality early learning experiences. The community mapping process allows homeuw to identify the areas in which it has a unique position to leverage relationships and community resources to create solutions through collective impact. These ongoing community conversations led homeuw to evolve their community impact work through a collective impact plan known as opportunity 2028. These are issues that have multiple causes and can't be solved with a quick-fix solution. Homeuw works to address the issue at its core. With donors,volunteers, and like-minded organizations, United Way coordinates efforts around clear goals to create lasting change that will improve lives and community conditions today and for future generations. The goals of opportunity 2028 include: meeting basic needs and promoting self-sufficiency by moving 10,746 people out of poverty by 2028 preventing, treating and supporting recovery from substance use disorder, eliminating deaths due to substance use disorder by 2028. Assuring that all children have quality early learning experiences by increasing the percent of children reading proficiently at the end of third grade to 58% by 2028.

211 - homeuw supports 2-1-1 Maine for the 5-county area it serves. 2-1-1 is a comprehensive statewide directory of over 10,000 health and human services available in Maine. The toll free 2-1-1 hotline is confidential and anonymous and connects callers to trained call specialists who can help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Finding the answers to health and human services questions and locating resources is as quick and easy as dialing 2-1-1, texting your zip code to 898-211, or by visiting 211maine.org. 211 provides homeuw with up-to-date data around community needs and unmet needs on a monthly basis. While call volume and type vary from month to month the top call categories for the past several years have included heating assistance, utilities assistance, housing, basic needs-food, mental health services, health care/health insurance, and substance abuse services. Call volume spikes for heating assistance september through march with heating assistance calls often making up 60 - 70% of the calls. Additionally, 211 receives calls for seasonal service needs (thanksgiving and christmas), tax services (january-march), and weather-related disasters (i.e. Ice storms). 211 Maine has also partnered with the Maine cdc to act a resource by providing trustworthy information to residents about the covid-19 pandemic.

Volunteerism - through an online database (volunteerme.unitedway.org) volunteers are matched to meaningful opportunities throughout the region. Additionally, the volunteer center offers capacity building and technical support for agencies that utilize volunteers by providing regular training opportunities, volunteer management resources and monthly peer to peer networking. The volunteer center is also responsible for coordinating days of caring twice yearly to assist nonprofits in the region with one-day service projects that they otherwise may not have the capacity to complete.

Others - neighbors United - this initiative leverages homeuw's connections in the business and nonprofit sectors to help provide needed supplies to residents of eastern Maine. Homeuw works with nonprofits and businesses to connect those in need of supplies with those willing to donate the needed items through our neighbors United drives. Homeuw helped our neighbors in need obtain over 100,000 worth of goods (diapers, socks, toothbrushes, school supplies etc.) Via donations and neighbors United drives. Singlecare - United Way is the official partner of singlecare community service partnership. Homeuw distributes pharmacy discount cards at no charge to organizations and individuals. Singlecare cards save an average of 5,500 residents of eastern Maine 500,000 annually in prescription costs. Project heat -this initiative provides small grants that help families stay safe through the winter by providing funds for emergency heating assistance, energy audits, winterization, weatherization, and hands-on training in energy savings methods. In the past year, this program nearly 30,000 in grants to non-profits in homeuw's service area to help local families and individuals in need of emergency assistance. Food security - homeuw has had a long-standing focus on food security through programs like the fema emergency food & shelter program (efsp), the national association of letter carriers (nalc) food drive, and homeuw's food drives. Homeuw is committed to raising the resources necessary to meet the immediate food security needs for the region while addressing the underlying causes of hunger and working with partners to strengthen the food security network. Homeuw administered over 228,000 in federal efsp aide to organizations within penobscot county in the last year. Over the past 10 years the nalc food drive has generated over 1 million pounds of food, translating into nearly 825,000 meals valued over 1.9 million dollars.