By Bailey Telo, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Last month, from October 16 to 19, the United Way Halton and Hamilton (UWHH) hosted their agency Pick Days at the United Way Community Donation Warehouse located in Burlington.
Through initiatives such as Pick Days, United Way has made a tremendous impact on the community, helping over 143,562 families and neigbours in need.
According to the UWHH 2022–2023 Impact Report, there has been a total value of 607,224 in-kind donations distributed from their Community Donation Warehouse. These items include anything from cleaning and hygiene supplies to electronics and home appliances.
As UWHH says on its website,“United Way Halton and Hamilton’s Community Donation Warehouse program allows our agency partners to access items ranging from cleaning and hygiene supplies to furniture and technology, enabling them to focus resources on their mission and critical work with clients in the community.”
Now, what is a pick day?
In early 2020, the United Way Halton and Hamilton Community Warehouse was launched in collaboration with individuals and local businesses eager to provide in-kind donations. In-kind donations are items donated directly by businesses rather than cash donations — these might be items that are over-ordered, brand-new overstock that might be just what United Way-funded agencies need to stretch their funding a little further.
Kristen Jacob, UWHH’s vice president of marketing and communications, notes that sometimes these corporate donations are quite niche: think car parts, Chinese New Year, Christmas decorations, recreational and household items.
And there are a lot of items. Storage shelves reach the ceiling, all stacked with boxes. Aisles are marked by type: kitchen; bathroom and bedroom; cleaning/hygiene; sporting and outdoor; electronics and applicances; oversized items; and child/youth items among them.
Donations can be ad-hoc throughout the year, but because some in-kind donations are overstock, United Way tends to have big donations around January, once all the holiday purchases have calmed down and businesses need to change over their stock.
The John Howard Society (JHS) is one of the many agencies that benefit from United Way pick days.
JHS is a charitable organization that provides support for individuals affected by the criminal justice system in Ontario, as well as advocacy, educational programs, and policy development around the rights of and equity for people who have experienced the criminal justice system. Emily is one of the support team providing mental health and addiction support to people on probation. Unfortunately, some individuals post-probation will still be trying to access shelter; relatively few of Emily’s clients have housing in place upon release, exacerbating their challenges.
A critical part of the JHS intake process is gaining an understanding of their clients’ needs. Emily works with clients on self-identified goals; these might be around employment, education, housing, or building better relationships with peers or family. To help clients reach those goals, Emily has done all kinds of things, from helping fill out Ontario Disability Support Program and Ontario Works forms to activities with clients. “I’ve literally done yoga in a park behind a tent [with a client],” Emily says.
Emily and her team work closely with probation officers to ensure that clients in Halton and Peel regions have access to resources. Pick Days are essential because money can be spent elsewhere when they can accumulate necessary items from the warehouse — “Because the funding stays the same, but the client base is increasing, so every little bit helps,” she says. Soap and personal hygiene items are always on the JHS list for Pick Days, as these are always useful for clients; other picks depend on the needs of particular clients at the time.
United Way Pick Days happen four times a year and supported agencies have the option to contact UWHH in-between Pick Days to see if specific items are available at the warehouse.
“When the warehouse is really full, United Way will tell agencies, ‘Help us empty the warehouse!’” Jacob says. If the warehouse happens to have fewer donations near a Pick Day, UWHH uses a point system for agencies: each gets a certain number of points, and each item they pick, worth varying numbers of points, gets tallied up until they reach their limit.
In November, United Way will also be hosting the Holiday Helping Hands program. Agencies will have the opportunity to come to the community warehouse and pick up items for the holiday season whether it be gifts for their clients’ families or decorations for agency offices.
Another example, says Jacob, of how “United Way puts people over profits.”
“Most people at some point in their lives will be leveraging a United Way partner,” she adds. United Way Halton and Hamilton helps partner agencies “connect the dots,” allowing their 57 local partners more flexibility in serving their clients.
You can donate to UWHH directly on their website, www.uwhh.ca, to help make a difference in your community.
Sources:
United Way Halton & Hamilton. n.d. Main page. Url: https://www.uwhh.ca/ (accessed Oct. 27, 2023).
United Way Halton and Hamilton. 2023. Nothing matters more. United Way Halton and Hamilton Impact Report. 2023. Url: https://nothingmattersmore.ca/ (accessed Oct. 26, 2023).
