Pressure on charity
United Way sets fundraising bar at $107M

By BRETT CLARKSON, SUN MEDIA
16th September 2009


United Way Toronto fundraisers have more than 107 million reasons to work hard this year.

The charity has set its fundraising goal for 2009 at $107.5 million, United Way president and CEO Frances Lankin said at the launch of this year's drive at First Canadian Place.

"The pressure on our community is great and people are turning to United Way to act now," Lankin said. "And thanks to generosity of people last year, we are holding the line. But just barely."

The recession has stretched foodbanks and job centres to the limit, Lankin said -- and also forced donors to tighten their wallets.

If last year is any indication, fundraisers will have their work cut out for them again. Last year, the charity failed to meet its goal for the first time in 18 years, falling $2.5 short of the $110-million goal.

"This is a difficult time. It has been over a year now since an unprecedented economic downturn first hit our community, and we're not out of the woods yet," Lankin said.

Heather Sant, executive director of JobStart, a United Way member agency that assists people get back into the workforce, said over the past year, activity at the three west-end JobStart locations is up about 20%.

"Certainly the numbers have increased across the board," she said.

JobStart receives about $100,000 annually in United Way funding .

Debbie Field, executive director of Food Share, a non-profit community organization that among other things, trains local residents to create and manage community gardens, said United Way funding is essential.

Field said the city is full of "food deserts," or low-income areas in which healthy food is difficult to access for residents, many of whom live in community housing. As a result, Food Share helps people in these neighbourhoods grow gardens near their apartment buildings or townhouses.

"Without the United Way, Food Share could not have experimented and developed these really innovative programs," Field said.

Bill Downe, president and CEO of BMO Financial Group, also announced the bank's $1- million gift to help develop community services in at-risk neighbourhoods.