Community aid

Editor:

A fire rages in the night and in the morning a McCook family is homeless. Friends and neighbors rally around them and find housing, clothing, and other essentials to help get them back on their feet.

Illness hits and medical bills and related expenses mount. The church holds soup suppers and raffles to help provide needed funds.

A farmer dies in late September and one morning in late October his fields are full of neighbor's combines and trucks picking corn for the widow and her family.

The people of McCook and Southwest Nebraska have always had a proud tradition of reaching out and helping when tragedy strikes. But every day, often right down our street, behind closed doors, a million little tragedies occur. A single mother needs after school programs to provide healthy supervised activities for her children; an unwed mother needs a car seat for her infant; the family with a mentally challenged child needs training and social activities for him or her; a Hispanic family would like to learn English; an elderly couple waits for a volunteer to bring them meals; a war veteran needs transportation to the grocery store and pharmacy. All of these are just examples of the many and various needs that happen every day in our community and that is where the United Way comes in.

The goal this year is as high as it has ever been - $85,000. That is because the need is as great as it has ever been. You can make your caring count by giving to the United Way fund drive which supports nineteen different agencies -job support, Swatters 4-H Club, Adult Education, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Mid-Nebraska Head Start, Red Willow County CASA, SW Nebraska Youth Services, the YMCA, home-delivered meals, commodity food, Domestic Abuse/Sexual Assault Services, Family services, Community Action of Mid-Nebraska, the Salvation Army, Partners in Parenting, FAIR, Live-Y'ers, and the public transit-handi bus.

With Thanksgiving just behind us and Christmas fast approaching it's a good time to count our many blessings and open our hearts-and wallets-to those in need by making a holiday gift to the United Way. You can mail your donation directly to the McCook United Way at P.O. Box 97 in McCook or ask your employer for a pledge card. There is so much good that needs to be done and together we can do it, the United Way.

Sincerely,

Dennis Berry

United Way Fund Drive Chair