United Way of Mower County

The United Way improves lives by moving people forward towards community goals while providing for their basic needs and connnecting community members with United Way supported community resources.

Student support programs: United Way of Mower County helps meet the basic needs of students and families by coordinating the success closet and backpack program. The success closet provides clothing, winterwear, personal care, and other household items free of charge to those in need. The backpack program provides weekend food bags free of charge to those in need.

The success by 6 program makes preschool scholarships and transportation available to families in our community who otherwise may not have access to early learning opportunities. Through a grant from the hormel foundation, the United Way administers the program by granting scholarship funds to quality preschools throughout Mower County and coordinating with smart transit to provide transportation to and from area preschools. The grant also provides for aides to ride along on all routes to ensure the safety of young riders. By removing the barriers of cost and transportation to lower income families, the sb6 program allows families to choose the preschool program that best suits their needs while setting them on a course for better academic achievement. This program would not be successful without the strong collaboration of the United Way, smart, and the parenting resource center. Through continued process improvement, we continue to serve more area families, providing brighter futures for our youngest learners.