By Kurt Brummett

Fundraising for the United Way of Oxford-Lafayette County as well as many local nonprofits has been difficult over the past year as rising costs and other negative factors have resulted in giving declines. The decrease in donations has been especially problematic as needs in the Lafayette-Oxford-University community continue to grow at an alarming rate and agencies struggle to fulfill the increased demand for assistance with limited resources and capacity.

Our organization encourages everyone who has not yet given to our 2022-2023 annual campaign to please do so as every contribution to our local United Way is an investment in our community that yields incredible returns. We appreciate the tremendous support we have received from so many and welcome contributions of all sizes, methods, etc. as we work hand in hand to help our neighbors in need.

Thank you to all who have already given this year and we ask everyone to please help us continue to raise awareness as well as funds as we partner to address our community’s evolving needs. We greatly appreciate your assistance as we seek to reach more eyes, ears, and hearts with our story in order to enhance our collective impact throughout Oxford and Lafayette County. So, please share our message and posts as we continually seek to add new members to our incredible team of donors, partners, volunteers, and advocates.

A donation of only a few dollars can purchase a book for a child as our organization helps fund Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library through the Lafayette County Literacy Council or supply a meal for an elderly resident through the home-delivered meals program administered by Three Rivers Area Agency on Aging. Similarly, the cost of a weekly pack for a local student in need from Lovepacks is less than five dollars. However, the significant impact of each far exceeds the dollar amount of the gift as it helps a child learn how to read or someone have food when the individual might otherwise go hungry.

Those applications reference just a few examples of the tremendous impact that can result from donating less than five dollars to our organization and the returns only multiply as you increase the amount. We are proud to collaborate with longstanding program partners such as The Leap Frog Program and Family Crisis Services of Northwest Mississippi along with first-time grant recipients like Lovepacks as we advance our mission to improve lives and meet community needs by uniting people and resources. You can learn about all of our FY 2023-2024 funded programs at uwoxfordms.org/programs.

So, whether a donation totals ten cents, ten dollars, or ten thousand dollars, every contribution makes a meaningful difference as we all partner together to better our community. You can learn about several ways to invest in our community at uwoxfordms.org/invest and please know we would love for you to be a part of our amazing local United Way team if you are not already a member.

Be our “we” by supporting the LOU community!

Kurt Brummett is Executive Director of United Way of Oxford-Lafayette County.