The Sarnia-Lambton United Way is making a push for donations as the annual fundraising campaign nears the final stretch.
Executive Director Dave Brown said with just four weeks left to go, they're cautiously optimistic they'll reach the $1.4 million target.
"Right now we're at $860,000, that's still ahead of last year's pace, and that works out to 61.5 per cent of our goal," said Brown. "We're still feeling pretty good. We do have four weeks to go and a lot can happen in four weeks. Imperial wraps up their campaign on Wednesday, most of those dollars are in but there will be a bit of a bump there. And, the NOVA match deadline is November 27, so we'll see a huge uptick in the thermometer once we get those results."
He said to date, just over 1,800 donors have contributed to this year's fundraising effort.
"There's always a push for first time donors for sure, given the need today is greater than it was before," said Brown. "We're continuing to do follow-ups through the mail and we're starting to do e-mail follow-ups with a lot of previous donors who have given in the past. A lot of people think that their payroll deductions will rollover from one year to the next. In most cases they do not, so we just have to get out there and remind those folks that they have to sign up every year."
A total of 17 local agencies receive funding from the United Way, including Sarnia-Lambton Rebound, Habitat for Humanity and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
To find out more or to donate online on the United Way's website.
