More than 1,800 community members rallied together to raise funds for the Goodfellows program since its most recent fundraising campaign launched in November 2020. Thanks to their efforts, Goodfellows will invest $1.1 million into our community during its 2021-22 fiscal year.
The Goodfellows program was established in the 1890s to help those in our community who have fallen on hard times, including people between jobs, the elderly, the ill, those who have experienced abuse and those facing a personal crisis with nowhere else to turn. During the 2021-22 fiscal year, 100% of donors’ Goodfellows gifts are being invested in nonprofit programs that provide emergency assistance, holiday food vouchers, shoes and clothing and other supports to thousands of our neighbors in need so they can get back on their feet.
This past year was the first time United Way of the Midlands (UWM) partnered with the Omaha World-Herald to administer the program. Omaha World-Herald continues to cover administrative costs associated with running Goodfellows and shares the rich stories and history of the charity throughout the campaign, while UWM leads fundraising efforts and invests donor dollars back into the community according to Goodfellows guidelines.
“This past year has been extremely challenging for so many in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro,” said Shawna Forsberg, president and CEO at UWM. “In the wake of COVID-19, people are still struggling with symptoms of depression and anxiety, facing difficulties paying for usual household expenses or spending less time on learning activities. And in total, 300,000 community members are still living paycheck to paycheck. We are extremely grateful to all those who reached out a helping hand to people in the metro by giving generously to the Goodfellows program.”
Goodfellows’ nonprofit partners include Eastern Nebraska Community Action Partnership, Family Housing Advisory Services, Inc., Food Bank for the Heartland, Heart Ministry Center, Heartland Family Service, Omaha Public Schools, Society of Saint Vincent De Paul Omaha, Together, Inc., Youth Emergency Services and United Way’s 211 Helpline.
About United Way of the Midlands
For the past 98 years, United Way of the Midlands (UWM) has used its community-wide perspective to identify local needs that are going unseen or unmet – and how it can partner with corporate, government organizations, nonprofits and donors to tackle them. Today, UWM remains committed to uniting our community’s caring spirit to build a stronger tomorrow. It invests donor dollars in more than 100 local nonprofit programs that, together, form a circle of support around our community. These programs are addressing pressing social and economic disparities and providing the essentials families need to thrive, such as healthy food, a safe place to go after school and job support.
About Omaha World-Herald
Founded in 1885 by Gilbert M. Hitchcock, the Omaha World-Herald provides news, commentary, information and advertising that encourages readers to become involved in the world around them. The award-winning World-Herald is a statewide Nebraska newspaper, and delivers to more readers in southwest Iowa than any other Iowa newspaper. The digital version (Omaha.com) receives approximately 18 million page views by over 1.2 million unique visitors each month. Over 80% of adults in the World-Herald’s “home market” of Douglas and Sarpy Counties have seen the printed or digital version in a week’s time.