Today’s Hope Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce Coffee was held at the Chamber offices and sponsored by Hempstead County United Way, which collects funds primarily through employee-authorized paycheck deductions to support several charitable agencies in the county.
The food and punch were brought in and set up by the agencies themselves and many representatives from those agencies were in attendance to talk about what they do.
Executive Director of the United Way Gina Perkins said the coffee signifies the opening of the organization’s 2023 campaign. “We will start raising money. The campaign usually runs August through December.”
She added that members of the organization will begin visiting sites of employment to enroll those who wish to give. “That is the biggest part of our budget. That is how United Way survives. That is how our organizations survive.”
Perkins said the Hempstead County United Way is also announcing the date of its gala, to be held October 27.
She was gratified to see the number of people gathered at the coffee from agencies the United Way supports. “There’s not a lot done on the front lines with United Way. We mainly provide funds for those on the front lines. So it’s good today to see United Way in action,” Perkins said.
A brochure available at the coffee listed the ten local agencies helped by United Way
Hospice of Hope
Senior Adult Center
