January 12, 2021
By Julie Capaldi,President, United Way of Pickens County
PICKENS COUNTY — At the heart of United Way of Pickens County’s Volunteer Income Tax Program, nicknamed VITA, is a corps of dedicated volunteers who donate their time and expertise, year after year, to make sure hard working low to moderate income tax payers submit their tax returns correctly and on time. United Way of Pickens County has provided this free service for years.
December 16, 2020
By Julie Capaldi, President, United Way of Pickens County
As I watch the COVID-19 Recovery Fund shrink and the requests for assistance explode, it scares the heck out of me.
After nine months dealing with the aftermath of the coronavirus, I have discovered a clear pattern of requests for assistance. The first need is food. When someone is hungry, they will humble themselves and ask for help, especially when there are children involved. Then the requests for rent and utility assistance come especially now that the weather is cold.
November 25, 2020
By Julie Capaldi, President, United Way of Pickens County
COVID fatigue, COVID cranky, Coronacation, (which is another term for NO vacation). I am all of those things but mostly, I am just plain scared. For nine months, United Way and our front line friends have been dealing with the decimation of people’s lives by the coronavirus.
October 19-25 is National Estate Awareness Week.
Adopted in 2008 by U.S. House of Representatives, National Estate Planning Awareness Week was established to assist Americans in preserving their assets built over their lifetime for the benefit of family, heirs and charities.
DID YOU KNOW... More than half of all Americans die without a will. When this happens, assets are distributed according to state laws where the deceased lived at the time of their death.
September 16, 2020
By Julie Capaldi, President, United Way of Pickens County
COVID-19. I am just SO over it. The coronavirus propelled so many hard working families into poverty. It’s just shocking how quickly it happened. The children may be suffering the most… ripped away from school and their friends for months. Now they are back in school but it’s a completely different experience…masks, protective workstations, social distancing. UGH!
Michael Staton, College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences
May 18, 2020
There is a new financial incentive for Americans to give generously to qualifying charities, including United Way of Pickens County and many of our community partners. The new universal tax break for charitable donations was included in the final $2 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package and will go into effect starting with the 2020 tax year.
April 8, 2020
For some families in Pickens County, the recent coronavirus outbreak has made it even harder to take care of basic needs. Many families lived paycheck to paycheck before this crisis and hovered just above the poverty line.
3.30.2020
United Way of Pickens County announced Monday that all free, in-person tax preparation appointments have been postponed indefinitely for coronavirus related reasons, including the concern for the health and safety of both volunteers and clients, the need to maintain social distancing, and the lack of space available to to hold in-person tax appointments due to the indefinite closure of the library system.
March 16, 2020
As our community and state implement plans to address the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, United Way of Pickens County is rapidly assessing the most urgent needs on the ground.
United Way is coordinating services with local nonprofits and community leaders to provide support for Pickens County's most vulnerable neighbors during this critical time, such as food, shelter and access to basic healthcare needs.