The Hastings Mutual Insurance Company Charitable Foundation recognizes the contributions of nonprofit organizations in the communities we serve. Each month, we’ll honor one of those organizations as our Nonprofit of the Month.

Each year, Hastings Mutual supports our local United Way office with a week devoted to raising funds for the organization. This year, we pledged $42,500 from our employees, and beat that goal, raising a total of $45,940. We had a volunteer team beautify the Green Street Church, not far from our office right here in Hastings.

Like United Way organizations around the country, the program here in Barry County, Michigan, collects money to donate to programs and services of agencies the United Way works with. In Barry County, they include:

• American Red Cross
• Commission on Aging (for in-home care services, and Meals on Wheels)
• Family Support Center (for newborn care)
• Food Bank of South Central Michigan
• Habitat for Humanity, and more

Other funds are used for programs provided by the United Way of Barry County for education: on financial management, using car seats, emergency assistance, and smoke detectors, among others.

The United Way’s Volunteer Center is an online database of more than 30 businesses and organizations in the county looking for volunteers, from drivers to construction workers and partners for exchange students.

 You can learn more about the United Way of Barry County by clicking on the link.