July 30, 2026
United Way of Greater Stark County builds the community’s capacity to reduce the impact of poverty and help families reach their full potential. Across Stark and Carroll counties, we bring together nonprofits, schools, businesses, government, philanthropy, and community members to strengthen the systems that help children and families succeed. Our work centers on families with young children in neighborhoods with the highest levels of poverty, focusing on school readiness, household stability, supportive relationships, and practical resources that ease stress and build long-term stability. This matters across our region where rising costs and limited access to affordable housing, childcare, transportation, and other essentials continue to strain families. When children are ready to learn, families are more stable, and communities work together, the entire region is stronger.
We primarily serve families with young children who live in neighborhoods experiencing the highest levels of poverty throughout Stark and Carroll Counties. Our work is made possible through partnerships with nonprofit organizations, schools, businesses, government agencies, philanthropic partners, volunteers, donors, and community members. Each brings different strengths and resources, helping us build more connected systems of support around children and families.
One thing many people don’t realize is that United Way is much more than just a fundraising organization. Historically, we’re best known for our workplace fundraising campaigns and allocating funds to community partners. While we do still do all of that and invest in local programs, we also play an active role in identifying community needs, bringing partners together to solve complex challenges, and developing innovative solutions where gaps exist. We don’t simply send funding to partners, we work alongside schools, nonprofits, businesses, government, and community leaders to help build our community’s capacity to alleviate the impact of poverty.
Many people are also surprised to learn that we operate and lead several direct-service initiatives ourselves, including Strong Neighborhoods, Strong Families, which provides coordinated support to children and families in local school buildings, as well as programs that connect residents with transportation, tax preparation, and other critical resources. Our goal is to ensure every child and family has the opportunity to succeed, and that requires both investing in great partners and leading collaborative solutions when our community needs them most.
One of the things I’m most proud of is seeing the lasting impact our work has on children and families. Through our Strong Neighborhoods, Strong Families initiative, we’ve helped hundreds of families access resources that improve their household stability, strengthen parenting skills, and prepare children to succeed. We’ve seen families increase their income through tax credits, parents gain confidence in their parenting skills and reduce stress, and children enter the classroom better prepared to learn.
I’m also proud of the way our community comes together to make this work possible. Every year, thousands of people, from volunteers to donors, businesses, schools, nonprofits, and community partners invest in our work to help families right here in our community. That spirit of collaboration and coming together is what makes United Way unique. We know that no single organization can solve our community’s challenges alone, but when we work together, we can create meaningful, measurable, and lasting change.
What I’d really want people to know is that there’s a place for everyone in this work. You don’t have to make a huge commitment to make a difference. You can show up to volunteer for an afternoon, share one of our posts on social media, help coordinate a collection drive, or make a gift if you can. All of those things matter. If you don’t know much about United Way, or you’re looking for a way to get more involved in the community, we’d love to have you join us. You can follow United Way of Greater Stark County on social media, visit our website, or sign up to volunteer.
Learn more here: https://www.uwstark.org/
