DEAR EDITOR:

Happy holidays! It’s been another rough year, there’s no denying that. Yet on the third Saturday of every month, the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley experiences an amazing ray of hope. In April 2020, the Muransky family and United Way partnered to start the project called Saturday of Caring.

Saturday of Caring is completed with the mission to provide delivery to doorstep of nonperishables, fresh foods and various essentials to seniors, shut-ins and families who could not be out due to health risks of the pandemic.

The project began by providing these deliveries once a week for eight weeks straight, then switched over to every third Saturday. With the continuous help from hundreds of volunteers, these deliveries have grown from 100 households, all the way to 350.

On Dec. 18, that ray of hope shined even a little brighter.

Despite the actual weather of clouds and constant rain, hundreds of volunteers gathered once again to help even more families.

A total of 55 drivers handled 400 deliveries that went to every corner of Mahoning County before 10 a.m. Then an hour later, more than 200 volunteers continued the giving by providing a drive-thru distribution to 600 more families to pick up food for the upcoming Christmas holiday.

All ages contributed to the success of this most recent Saturday. Little ones stood next to their parents to lend a hand, and by the end of the day we met a 92-year-old pantry volunteer who helped us unload the remaining food. We could not do this without the wonderful continued partnership with the Muransky family, Joe Dickey Electric, Kufleitner Auto Group, Meijer Boardman, Save-A-Lot, Wedgewood Pizza, Oh Donut!, Huntington Bank, Hometown Pharmacy, the numerous volunteers and so many more.

Thank you to everyone who brought the sunshine on a cloudy December day. Thank you to everyone who gave the Mahoning Valley this little Christmas miracle.

BOB HANNON

President

United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley