MCALLEN, TEXAS – August 18, 2021 – United Way of South Texas held its annual Day of Caring “Project FreshStart” events in August at H-E-B Plus Store in Mission and H-E-B Plus Store in Rio Grande City.
United Way funds Day of Caring “Project FreshStart” with support from all donors. This project, administered by United Way since 2011, annually provides essential school supplies for 3,300 high school Freshmen in Hidalgo & Starr Counties. Supplies include binders, paper, spiral notebooks, highlighters, pens, pencils, erasers and hand sanitizer. “Roma I.S.D. is extremely grateful to United Way for always making the students of The Gladiator Nation a priority,” Roma I.S.D. Superintendent Carlos Guzman said. “United Way is a wonderful organization comprised of a team with big hearts and great ideas for making our community a better place. We thank them for their leadership with these projects for our schools.” Counselors at each school district select the students who receive these items. Over 28,600 families have benefited to date. School districts in this year’s Day of Caring Project rotation include: Donna I.S.D., Valley View I.S.D., Sharyland I.S.D., Monte Alto I.S.D., Hidalgo I.S.D., La Villa I.S.D., South Texas I.S.D., Rio Grande City Grulla C.I.S.D. and Roma I.S.D.
“With these unprecedented times economically and socially, these donations will benefit many of our students whose families may have fallen on hard times due to the pandemic and income loss,” said Jorge O. Ramos III from Palmview High School. “Organizations like United Way of South Texas continue to provide the hope and comfort that despite uncertainty we are all in this together.”
The United Way Board of Directors thanks all supporters who make projects like Day of Caring-Project FreshStart and the Back-to-School “In Style” Shopping Spree possible. United Way is committed to helping youth succeed and invests in dozens of programs that directly impact a child’s academic and mental performance in the classroom.
About United Way:
United Way of South Texas invests in programs that address critical services in the areas of Health, Education, Financial Stability, and Safety Net. The organization supports over 21 non-profit agencies in Hidalgo and Starr Counties that serve a minimum of 178,500 local residents annually. Services provided by United Way of South Texas through Partner Agencies include emergency shelter, family violence counseling, character building programs, child victim advocacy, and infant stimulation classes. To learn more, visit www.unitedwayofsotx.org. If you would like to support United Way programs with a monetary donation, you may mail a tax deductible check to United Way of South Texas at P.O. Box 187, McAllen, TX 78505-0187 or pledge online at https://unitedwayofsotx.org/donate-now/. For volunteer opportunities, visit volunteersotx.org.