In response to United Way Takes care with funding, Aug. 29 Advocate, in relation to the Red Deer Clothing Bank:
I appreciate that it was a difficult but I understand the United Way’s (UW) decision to withdraw funding from the Red Deer Clothing Bank.
I realize how challenging it is for the United Way to meet all the demands and all requests for funding. The UW goes through an extensive review to determine which agencies can make the greatest impact to our community. I understand that the United Way recently conducted an in-depth community consultation to determine its priorities and came up with three funding priorities. Both the community and funded agencies were involved.
As a donor, I trust the UW and its volunteers to make the best use of my donated money. At the end of the day, with limited financial resources, the UW is better equipped than I am personally to determine where the biggest impact will be in made.
This does not take away the services provided by the Red Deer Clothing Bank, only that is does not meet the UW’s mandate.
If the community supports the work of this organization, hopefully other funding alternatives will be found.
David Murphy
Red Deer