Hundreds of people gathered to fill their tummies and help their neighbours as United Way’s 2023 Campaign launch began with 3M Harvest Lunches in London and St. Thomas.
Generosity and hot dogs were on the menu as attendees ate a mid-day meal with friends, while every ticket also generated a meal for a neighbour in need.
At the London event, the high-energy sound of the Latin Power Band had more than 1,000 guests tapping their toes, and had some people dancing on the ballroom floor.
Participants, along with donors unable to attend, also contributed pay-it-forward meals so that $29,713 will be distributed through 11 partner agencies’ local food programs.
Crucially, this event also launched and builds momentum for United Way’s 2023 Community Campaign, where donor dollars generate maximum impact.
“By any metric, poverty harms us all. So, as much as this is a great way to enjoy and share a meal, this event is also a call to do more local good,” says Mark Egbedeyi-Emmanuel, 2023 Campaign Chair and general manager of EPCOR in Aylmer.
Egbedeyi-Emmanuel noted that the Campaign helps United Way Elgin Middlesex invest $6 million this year in 52 local programs and services that help neighbours-in-need – from youth to seniors and everything in between.
The region’s largest non-government funder of social services, United Way supports 40 agencies that reduce and prevent poverty, and provide basic needs and housing stability for more than 65,000 people.
“When we gather for a meal, we’re celebrating connection. Today, as many people on the margins feel disconnected, 3M Harvest Lunch & United Way Campaign Launch unites friends and colleagues to say emphatically that everyone in this community matters.”
Terry Bowman, plant director of 3M Canada, presenting sponsor of the event, said volunteerism runs deep at 3M: “Working to make a difference is part of our culture and key to who we are.
“That’s why I’m inspired by the way the community comes together around the 3M Harvest Lunch every year – uniting with a single purpose: to help and lift each other up. When we work with each other and for each other, we give everyone a fair shot at a good life.”
During the event in St. Thomas on Sept. 21, Brian Elliot, director of The Inn, detailed how the United Way-supported agency has helped more than 50 people move from homeless to housing in the past year alone.
“United Way has a trusted track record of recognizing and supporting local programs and partnerships that get results,” Elliot said. “That allows us to do the work we’re best at, which is helping people start a new and better chapter in their story…. to turn their second, third or 14th chance into success for them.”
Elisabete Rodrigues, executive director at LUSO Community Services, told the London crowd that transformation takes place daily at United Way-funded agencies.
She cited the example of two young people who first connected with the agency for newcomer services and are now among LUSO’s most dedicated volunteers.
“That’s what neighbourhood community centres do: Build belonging. Nurture neighbours And create real community,” Rodrigues said.
See all event photos here: London & St. Thomas
Topics : Campaign, Harvest Lunch
