The Need

Every day, the national economic crisis is affecting more people here in Greater Waterbury. Families and individuals are struggling to make ends meet. Thousands of homeowners teeter on the brink of foreclosure or have already lost their homes. Parents are forced to make difficult decisions between food and fuel. Individuals who were just getting by with two or more minimum wage jobs find themselves homeless when one of these jobs is eliminated and they are no longer able to pay their rent or mortgage.

The crisis is daunting. As the seasons change, the need is growing at a pace we have not faced in decades - more people are hungry, homeless and facing economic uncertainty. Food pantries can’t keep up with the demand and are dealing simultaneously with greater need for their services and significant reductions in funding. Faith-based community organizations have seen a significant increase in requests for assistance and more individuals facing home foreclosure and job loss. Because of the economy, every organization is seeing an influx of new faces that previously were able to “get by.”

We have a fundamental obligation to help one another and to work for the common good.  That's what it means to LIVE UNITED.   When we help our most vulnerable fellow citizens – our neighbors – we are individually and as a community better for it. Given this extraordinary time of need, we must come together as a community to respond.