United Way of Southeast Mississippi

09/03/2026

After a year and a half in our new space, we decided it was time for a little something new! ✨

A big thank you to Lookout Graphix for adding some new touches to our boardroom. We love how it turned out! 👏

09/02/2026

Join Us for the CANpaign Food Drive!

📅Thursday, September 24th
🕖7:00 AM – 3:00 PM
📍Drop-off Locations: Corner Market: Midtown, Hwy 11, & Petal

Our CANpaign Food Drive is back, and we need your help to stock the shelves of our local food pantries!

👉Bring canned goods and non-perishable food items to any of our three Corner Market drop-off locations on Thursday, September 24th. Your donations will benefit:

❤ Edwards Street Fellowship Center
❤ Christian Services, Inc.
❤ Hope Community Collective

Every can counts! For a full list of items needed visit unitedwaysems.org/fooddrive

09/01/2026

Our September Waymakers column is here!

This month, we're sharing how the Workplace Campaign brings employees together to invest in their own community. For 86 years it's been the cornerstone of our work, and today, nearly two-thirds of the funding that strengthens our four-county region comes from people giving a little from each paycheck. Last year, more than 1,750 employees at 81 workplaces chose to do exactly that.

Those gifts reach 11 local partner agencies and United Way programs that serve over 30,000 of our neighbors every year.

Thank you to Signature Magazine for highlighting this important work. We hope you'll take a moment to read the column and learn more about the difference we're making together.

https://www.flipsnack.com/Emmerich/signature-magazine-september-2026.html

08/31/2026

These community-minded companies are stepping up early, leading by example, and helping create meaningful change right here in Southeast Mississippi. Their support helps open doors to opportunity for local youth, build a healthier community, strengthen financial security for families, and build a stronger, more resilient community for years to come.

We are incredibly grateful for the leadership, generosity, and commitment these Pacesetter Companies bring to our community.

• Forrest Health
• Hattiesburg Clinic
• Huntington National Bank
• Mississippi Power
• Regions Bank
• Anderson Design Center
• Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative, Inc.
• Dixie Electric Power Association
• Hancock Whitney
• Area Development Partnership
• Citizens National Bank
• South Mississippi State Hospital
• Renasant

Thank you for setting the pace, investing in our community, and showing what’s possible when we come together to make a difference.

Because when we work together, United is the Way.

08/28/2026

Introducing Partner Spotlight: a new monthly series where we introduce you to the partners we fund doing this work on the ground. 🤝

First up: Kids Hub Child Advocacy Center

Kids Hub gives children who have experienced abuse a safe place to be heard, bringing law enforcement, child protection, mental health, and advocacy together so a child only has to tell their story once.

Gifts to United Way directly fund their Forensic Interview Program, the first step in getting a child help and moving a case forward.

We asked what being a United Way partner makes possible:

"Being a United Way partner reflects the natural alignment between our missions: strengthening communities by ensuring children and families have access to the support and resources they need to thrive. For Kids Hub, the partnership not only provides a credible and trusted avenue for funding, but also connects our work to a broader network of community partners committed to creating lasting change for children and families."

Kids Hub is part of our Healthy Community impact area, which is one of the four focus areas that guide every dollar we invest in Forrest, Lamar, Marion, and Perry counties.

When you give to United Way, you're giving to all of them. 💙

08/27/2026

Circle K locations are giving customers a simple way to support their local community.

Until August 31, customers can round up eligible purchases to support United Way. Donations support the United Way serving the same community as the Circle K store.

Every round-up donation helps create stronger, more resilient communities.

08/26/2026

Dolly Parton’s legacy will live on through the countless children whose lives she touched through the Imagination Library. We’re grateful to be part of that legacy here in our community.

Watch last night’s WDAM story featuring United Way of Southeast Mississippi and our local Imagination Library program.

Following the death of Dolly Parton on Tuesday, local fans are remembering the country music icon not only for her songs but also for the way she gave back.

Read more about the ways the Pine Belt is showing out for the Queen of Country Music by clicking the link in our comments. 🩷⬇️

08/25/2026

Today, we mourn the loss of Dolly Parton — an icon whose generosity, kindness, and love for children have touched millions of lives.

Through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, children around the world have received the gift of a book and the joy of discovering a lifelong love of reading. Right here in our community, 2,500 children in Forrest, Lamar, and Marion Counties receive books each year through this incredible program, which we are proud to serve as the local partner organization.

Dolly’s legacy will live on in every child who opens a book, lets their imagination grow, dreams a little bigger, and discovers the magic of reading.

If you would like to help continue Dolly’s legacy right here in our community, you can make a donation to support our local Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library:
https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com

Her legacy is more than the books she gave — it’s the dreams she helped inspire. ❤️📚

08/24/2026

Mark Your Calendar!

Our “CAN”paign Community-Wide Food Drive is on September 24, and we need your help to fight hunger in our community!

Here’s how it works:

🥫 Now through September 24 - COLLECT canned vegetables, peanut butter, rice, pasta, soup, anything non-perishable.

📍 Thursday, September 24 - DELIVER to Corner Market, 7am - 3pm. We'll be out front (Midtown, Oak Grove, and Petal)

Everything collected goes to three partners feeding our neighbors year-round: Edwards Street Fellowship, Christian Services, and Hope Community Collective.

Here is the full list of most-needed items: unitedwaysems.org/fooddrive

Help us kick off the CANpaign strong. Every can makes a difference!

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