The local United Way chapter has reported its most successful annual fundraising campaign, ever.
The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley said its annual fundraising campaign raised a record-breaking $22,642,018.
According to a release, this is the largest annual campaign in the organization’s 100+ year history, and marks the 13th consecutive year of growth.
The campaign, which ran from April 2022 to March 2023, drew in contributions from over 18,500 individual donors and 300 partners.
This included over $6 million in contributions from PPL Corp., $5 million from Air Products, and $1 million each from City Center Allentown and Crayola.
The United Way said this year’s campaign will impact over 130,000 people in the region by supporting community stability, education and healthy aging, according to the release.
It is also responding to the ongoing housing crisis in the area, which has worsened due to the recent health and economic crises.
The United Way said for this campaign the PPL Foundation partnered to create Be a Housing Hero, making additional contributions to aid neighbors and families experiencing housing insecurity. The organization said this initiative raised an additional $3 million.
The support also includes creating a new no- to low-barrier rental assistance program, in partnership with the Lehigh Valley Regional Homeless Advisory board.
The program will provide up to three months of support to help families stay in their homes.
David Lewis, President of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, said in a statement that the donations will provider over 46,000 people with emergency services like housing and disaster relief, nearly 27,000 people with access to healthy food, and over 45,000 students with better educational opportunities.
(Original air-date: 4/6/23)
