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

🚚 Moving thousands of school supplies to fill more than 400 backpacks for local students is made easy thanks to the help of our wonderful friends @autoconnectsales 

✏️Thank you to Cheryl, Martin and the whole team for your support our of Backpacks for Success program. Your generosity makes a real difference in our community!
🎉 PTBO & COUNTY, SAVE THE DATE! 🎉

We’re kicking off something special. 85 years of United Way Peterborough & District and we want you to be there! 

Join us for our 2026 Campaign Launch, presented by Miskin Law [@miskinlaw] as we officially launch this year’s campaign and celebrate the incredible community that has carried the work of United Way forward for 85 years. ❤️

We’re especially excited to welcome 2026 Campaign Chair Tiffany Arcari [@_thetiffanyshow] whose leadership will help guide this year’s campaign, alongside Jason Seguya, our new CEO, as he joins our community for his first Campaign Launch in his new role. Let’s make it a special one😁📣!

📅 September 17, 2026
⏰ 12:00 - 1:30 [doors open at 11:30]
📍 Healthy Planet Arena

More details — including tickets — at the link🔗 in our bio!

85 years united. One community. A campaign to remember.
✨ 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
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