United Way of Harvey and Marion Counties

09/04/2026

In observance of Labor Day, our office and Resource Navigation will be closed Monday, September 7, 2026, and we'll be back Tuesday, September 8, to continue serving Harvey and Marion Counties. Have a safe and restful holiday!

09/03/2026

September is Hunger Action Month.

Every month, Resource Navigation program connects neighbors across Harvey and Marion Counties to food when they need it, no judgment, no runaround, just a path forward. This work is made possible in part through our program partners, NMC Health and the Newton Public Library

Hunger doesn't always look the way you'd expect. It's a senior stretching a fixed income. A parent making sure their kids eat first. A neighbor who's never had to ask for help before. That's exactly why we're here: to meet people where they are and connect them to what they need.

This month, we're asking our community to notice, to speak up, and to show up for one another.

Learn more about Resource Navigation: https://www.uwhmc.org/resource-navigation

09/01/2026

We're proud to partner with Prairie View and Healthy Harvey Coalition for Chalk It Out, September 7-11!

Su***de Prevention Month is about more than awareness, it's about action. This week, we're inviting businesses, organizations, and community members across Harvey and Marion Counties to fill our sidewalks with messages of hope, encouragement, and support.

Want to participate? Contact Brad at [email protected] to sign up. Free chalk is available for participating organizations that need it.

Share your creations and tag us so we can spread these messages of hope throughout our community.

***deAwareness ***dePreventionMonth

Prairie View is excited to partner with United Way of Harvey and Marion Counties and Healthy Harvey Coalition for Chalk It Out, September 7-11!

Together, we're encouraging businesses, organizations and community members to fill sidewalks throughout our communities with messages of hope, encouragement and support during Su***de Prevention Month.

Want to participate? Contact Brad at [email protected] to sign up. Prairie View has free chalk available for participating organizations that need it!

During Chalk It Out week, we encourage participants to share photos of their creations and tag Prairie View, United Way of Harvey and Marion Counties, and Healthy Harvey Coalition so we can help share these messages throughout the community.

United Way of Harvey and Marion Counties Healthy Harvey Coalition

We'll be sharing more information about Chalk It Out tomorrow!

***deAwareness

09/01/2026

🥕 Could a fresh food market work in Hesston? We want to hear from you.

Hesston has been without a grocery store since 2018. With funding from the Kansas Healthy Food Initiative, we’re exploring whether a fresh food market could be a sustainable option for the community.

But we need your voice as part of that conversation.

📅 Wednesday, September 16
⏰ 6:30–8:00 p.m.
📍 Hesston High School Performing Arts Center, 200 N. Ridge Rd

During the Town Hall, we’ll:

🥕 Introduce the project and what we hope to learn
💬 Answer questions about the project and research process
📖 Discuss Hesston’s history with grocery stores and previous efforts to bring one back
🔎 Talk about what comes next, including community surveys, focus groups, conversations with local growers and other research
❓ Hear the questions and concerns you think we should consider as we move forward

Most importantly, no decision has been made. This grant funds research, not the construction or opening of a market. The goal is to gather good information, involve the community throughout the process, and ultimately understand whether a fresh food market could work in Hesston.

Whether you’ve lived in Hesston for decades or are new to the community, we hope you’ll join us and help kick off this process.

Please RSVP so we can plan for the room, and bring your questions! Feel free to share this invitation with friends and neighbors, too.

RSVP here: https://forms.gle/mes2a1cECkmEi5U29

Hosted by United Way of Harvey and Marion Counties and the Healthy Harvey Coalition, with the Hesston Chamber, Kansas Horizon Foundation, and Harvey County Food & Farm Council.

09/01/2026

Please join us in welcoming Emily Medbury, our new Community Health Initiatives Intern! 🎉

Health is one of the three things we focus on here at United Way of Harvey and Marion Counties - alongside youth opportunity and financial stability, because when neighbors have what they need to stay healthy, everything else gets a little more possible: showing up for work, showing up for school, showing up for each other.

Emily is a Bethel College, North Newton, KS student joining our team to help advance that work for families right here in Harvey and Marion Counties, and we're glad to have her on board.

If you see her out in the community, say hi and drop a welcome in the comments below!

08/27/2026

Heat wave incoming. 🌡️

Temperatures are climbing fast, highs near 90 today, but 100°F or higher by this weekend and staying there through the middle of next week. This isn't a one-day spike, it's a stretch of dangerous heat across Harvey and Marion Counties.

Here's how to help and how to get help:

🌀 Donate: Boxed fans, bottled water, cooling towels, electrolytes, sunscreen and bug spray. Drop off at 204 W 6th St, Newton, KS, 9am to 4pm, Monday through Friday.

🤝 Need help? Email [email protected], our resource navigator is here for you.

Check on your neighbors this week, especially older adults, young kids, and anyone without reliable air conditioning.

08/27/2026

Yesterday, we joined business, industry, and civic leaders to hear Jeremy Hill of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City break down what's shaping our local and national economy right now.

Growth is real here, and it matters. But we also know growth on paper doesn't always reach every household the same way. Right now, more than 1 in 3 Harvey County households, and nearly 4 in 10 in Marion County, are ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. Working full-time, and still can't cover the basics: housing, food, transportation, and childcare.

These aren't households that need to try harder. Many earn too much to qualify for assistance and still not enough to keep up with the actual cost of living here.

Real upward mobility means the growth this room is building has to reach the people doing the work, not just the businesses doing the hiring. That's the piece we focus on: using ALICE data to understand exactly where that gap is, and closing it.

Thankful to be part of a community that shows up together.

Learn more: https://community-conditions-uwhmc-v1-1.vercel.app/

08/25/2026

Today we lost a legend - not just for her music, but for the mark she left on early childhood literacy. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has put free books in the hands of millions of kids across the country, including right here in Harvey and Marion Counties, sparking a love of reading before children ever set foot in a classroom.

Her generosity, warmth, and belief that every child deserves a home library will keep changing lives for generations to come. Thank you, Dolly, for everything you gave.

08/18/2026

The Harvey County Childcare Task Force is partnering with other childcare champions in the region to host a Childcare Business Summit!

Childcare isn’t just a family issue. It’s a workforce and economic development issue. This summit will bring together business leaders, employers, and community partners to explore practical ways we can strengthen childcare and support workforce participation across our region.

📅 Tuesday, August 25, 2026
⏰ 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
📍 McPherson Community Building
🍽️ Lunch will be provided

We’ll discuss childcare tax credits, resources available to business owners, the Tri-Share Model, Childcare Zones, and opportunities for employers and community partners to connect and collaborate.

Whether you’re an employer, HR professional, economic development leader, community partner, or simply interested in strengthening our regional workforce, we’d love to have you at the table.

👉 Register here: https://forms.gle/aGDBrZQCsRjuWLUD8