Day of Caring – Thursday June 16th

This year, it’s all about school supplies!

With many agencies still unable to offer in-person volunteer opportunities, we decided to focus this Day of Caring on our most pressing priority…making certain we can deliver the educational tools requested by our local school communities for students who need a hand up this fall. If you are looking for an initiative to support with your work team or, a way your family can help local students, why not create a mini-fundraiser for Backpacks for Success?

Some of your friends and neighbours make impossible choices every day…choosing between paying rent, paying bills or buying groceries. September brings an additional financial stress for these families – back to school shopping for all of the basic tools that will contribute to their child’s success.

Our vision is that everyone in every community has the opportunity to reach their full potential and United Way Peterborough’s Backpacks for Success program serves to ensure that all students have the educational tools they need. This year we need your help. With the 2022 order forms now complete, requests from our local schools in both Kawartha Pine Ridge and Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Boards have increased by 74% over last year.

Ways you can help to support our Backpacks for Success initiative for Day of Caring

What teacher gift shows your appreciation better than one that is made in their name, that helps to provide one of their own students with the tools they need to experience educational success? When you make a gift on the Backpacks for Success giving page, you are able to customize a printable card letting your favourite educator know that a gift has been made in their name!

As we begin to focus on recovery and rebuilding after the global pandemic, it has become increasingly difficult to ignore the fact that the events of the past two years have disproportionally affected our economically vulnerable populations. You can help to build an equitable recovery and foster a sense of inclusivity for these students through your support of Backpacks for Success.

Are you looking for a way to give back with your office team?  Hold a mini-fundraiser, trivia night or coffee shop to have a little fun while building a strong and inclusive community for our local students.  As a family or individual, why not have a games night,  lemonade stand or garage sale to raise funds and make sure to tell us your ideas so that we can share your Day of Caring stories!

The increased need in our community translates to a $15,000 cost to run the program for 2022

To help achieve the level of community investment required, we have added a sponsorship option for those who would like to have a broader impact this fall.

Brant Basics – Give at the till or add a donation to your online order

In 2021, Brant Basics, a longtime supporter of United Way Peterborough & District through their annual workplace campaign, reached out to offer to partner in a more significant way through the creation of new initiative to keep support ongoing.

The team at Brant Office Supply, in addition to sourcing quality, well-priced items for the program and offering a rebate have also committed to donating several items that will be included in each student backpack. Brant customers can also choose to support the Backpack for Success Program by adding a donation when making a purchase in-store or, adding a donation to their online orders by adding item 80003-00 and filling in your desired gift amount.

To learn more, CLICK HERE or donate directly to our Backpacks for Success Giving Page HERE

Social Posts

✨ Half the world is under 30. In Canada, that’s 35% of us.

Young people aren’t just the future, they’re changemakers right now. 💪

On #InternationalYouthDay, United Way Peterborouh & District celebrates their leadership, their courage, and their vision for a better world. 🌟💛
🎒🚗 What a day! We filled the Fords and our hearts @autoconnectsales

A HUGE thank you to everyone who came out to Fill the Fords on Saturday, donated supplies, volunteered, sponsored the event, grabbed a BBQ lunch courtesy of @kingstmarket, enjoyed some ice cream from @central_smith, and helped us celebrate the incredible generosity of our community.

We’re so grateful to Auto Connect Sales, our sponsors, community partners, volunteers, media friends, and every single person who helped make this day possible. Your support will help local students start the school year feeling prepared, confident, and ready to learn.

But we’re not done yet! 🎒

There’s still time to help. If you haven’t had a chance to donate, we’re collecting new backpacks and school supplies at the United Way Peterborough & District office and at participating community collection locations until THIS FRIDAY, August 14!

Every backpack, every box of crayons, every notebook and every donation helps us get closer to ensuring local students have the tools they need to succeed.

✨Comment “BACK TO SCHOOL” and we’ll send you the full list of participating businesses running supply drives.
Exciting News! 💫 The Reaching Home deadline has been extended!

Applicants now have until Wednesday, August 19 to submit your proposals.

Please keep in mind: 
👉 Applications will be reviewed based on alignment to the following community priorities:
• Creating, preserving, and enabling equitable access to housing
• Eviction prevention
• Outreach
👉 Funding covers the period October 1, 2026, to March 31, 2028
👉 New application deadline August 19, 2026

ℹ️ What is Reaching Home? It's a community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness across Canada. This program provides funding to communities to help them address their local homelessness needs.

Apply today at uwpeterborough.ca
We 💙 GM Financial!

A huge thank you to our friends at GM Financial for dropping off our first Backpacks for Success donations of the season! We’re so grateful for partnerships like these in our community. 

💡 As part of their workplace drive, employees received a work from home day in exchange for making a donation. What a creative way to encourage workplace giving!

Our Backpacks for Success supply drives wrap up on August 14, but there is still time to help! Join us on August 8 at Auto Connect Sales for our Fill the Fords event. We’ll be there from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. collecting school supplies, so stop by, say hello, and help us fill the Fords! 👋🎒
We’re growing, evolving, and looking for an experienced Director, Finance & Administration to join our Senior Leadership Team.

This is an opportunity to help shape the future of United Way Peterborough & District by providing strategic leadership across finance, administration, governance, and organizational operations, ensuring we remain a strong and sustainable partner for our community.

📍 Peterborough, ON
💼 Full-time
💰 Starting salary: $83,106; salary range up to $93,536
📅 Apply by August 14, 2026

Interested or know someone who’d be a great fit? Visit our website [link in bio] to learn more and apply, and please help us spread the word by sharing this opportunity within your networks.
❤️Won’t you be our neighbour? 

Stay tuned, @_thetiffanyshow will be sharing the full story (and her inspiring Campaign Chair speech) soon. You won’t want to miss this!

#CertifiedNeighbour #UnitedWayPTBO
Don't miss out 👉 United Way Peterborough is now accepting applications for the Reaching Home program!

ℹ️ What is Reaching Home?
Reaching Home is a community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness across Canada by providing funding to communities to address local housing and homelessness needs.

Important details:
⭐ Applications will be reviewed based on alignment to community priorities, including:
• Creating, preserving, and enabling equitable access to housing
• Eviction prevention
• Outreach

⭐ The funding period is October 1, 2026, to March 31, 2028

📅 Applications close August 4, 2026.

Apply today at uwpeterborough.ca
Meaningful conversations are the first step toward meaningful change. This morning, our CEO, Jason Seguya, had the opportunity to meet with MP Harrison (@emmaaharrisonmp) to discuss some of the most pressing challenges facing our communities.

Part of the conversation focused on the recently published Financial Anxiety Index, a national research project undertaken by United Way Centraide Canada and conducted by Léger. The findings are clear: nearly half of Canadians say they could cover their basic expenses for only one month or less if their income were interrupted, and many report that their financial situation has worsened in recent months. The research also highlights that single parents, newcomers, and young people are among those experiencing the greatest financial strain.

Jason also had the opportunity to elaborate on United Way Peterborough & District’s role as the Community Entity for the Government of Canada’s Reaching Home program. For more than a decade, we have worked with local partners to administer federal homelessness funding, convene organizations across the sector, and support innovative, collaborative responses that help prevent and reduce homelessness in our community. Since 2020, more than $8 million in Reaching Home funding has been distributed locally to strengthen supports and services for those experiencing homelessness.

We appreciate the opportunity to share these insights and discuss the importance of coordinated community responses to poverty, housing insecurity, and homelessness. We look forward to continuing the conversation with MP Harrison in the months ahead as we work together to build a stronger, more connected community.
Breaking News: Jimothy has officially RSVP'd to our Fill the Fords event on August 8! 🎉

Want to join #Jimothy? Stop by Auto Connect between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to donate new school supplies in support of our Backpacks for Success initiative. Together, we'll help fill the Fords and backpacks so that students of all ages can start the school year with the tools they need to succeed . 🎒📚💙
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