FromHardship
to Hope

From Hardship to Hope

…for Every Child, Every Family, Every Neighborhood.

Help us lift our neighbors from hardship to hope by raising $75 million by 2030 to ensure all kids and families have what they need so that we have thriving kids, strong households, and an equitable community.

We’ve set an ambitious goal: raise $75 million by 2030 to change the trajectory of lives across our region.

Every dollar you give helps a family find stability, a student succeed, and a neighborhood thrive.

Hope starts here. Donate today.

With the newest data available to us, we know that 1 in 4 people – or 331,000 people in our 7-county region – are living in poverty or are facing hardship. They struggle to afford just the basics needed: food, housing, transportation, child care, and education.

There are an additional 154,000 individuals that live well above the poverty level but still have to make unimaginable choices between food on the table or prescriptions, gas in the tank or utility bills, going to the doctor or Wi-Fi for kids to do their homework. These are people we see every day: baristas, servers, cooks, delivery drivers, bank tellers, child care workers, and more.

In all, that’s 39%, or almost 2 in 5 households in our seven-county region, that are living in poverty or working, yet still struggling to afford basic necessities.

That’s why Metro United Way’s Hardship to Hope effort is so essential.

Help us lift our neighbors from hardship to hope by raising $75 million by 2030 to ensure all kids and families have what they need.

HOPE STARTS HERE.

What does hope look like?

From eviction notice to welcome mat — hope is homeownership.
From the floor to sweet dreams — hope is a bed of their own.
From waitlists to workdays — hope is a strong child care sector.
From closed doors to college dorms — hope is access to higher education.
From no diploma to steady paycheck — hope is meaningful employment.
From missed milestones to early support — hope is catching concerns before they grow.
From survival mode to stability — hope is financial coaching.
From feeling invisible to being heard — hope is advocacy in action.
From isolation to connection — hope is a community that shows up and everybody belongs.
From being left behind to getting to class on time — hope is knowing there’s a way to get to school.
From fear of saying the wrong thing to the courage to keep showing up — hope is growth through equity.
From “I don’t know where to turn” to “I got the help I needed” — hope is being connected.
From empty cupboards to full plates — hope is food on the table.
From uncertainty to clear direction — hope is mentorship, opportunity, and accountability.
From a temporary fix to lasting change — hope is systems that work.

UNITED IS THE WAY TO…