about us
United Way of Westchester and Putnam (UWWP) has been mobilizing strategic partnerships and leveraging resources to create a more equitable community since 1962. It does this by advancing education, financial stability, and health initiatives to support the 40% of Westchester and Putnam households living in poverty or paycheck to paycheck, or “ALICE” (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). These are often hardworking families struggling to make ends meet and provide a better life for their children. But for these families, when funds run short, they are forced to make impossible choices between childcare or paying the rent… filling a prescription or fixing a car. They are our preschool teachers, home health aides, waiters and waitresses, and retail salespeople – workers essential to keeping all our communities and economies humming, yet who struggle to pay their own basic bills.
The team of 35 professionals plus 55 temporary afterschool staff, as well as 32 Board members, work collaboratively with thousands of volunteers and donors to achieve results three ways …
Firstly, by investing dollars or essential goods in programs with proven results.
- In 2024-25, we administered almost $600K in grants to 79 nonprofit partners;
- And contributed more than $5.7 mil in essential goods like school supplies, diapers, food, blankets, pillows, socks and the like.
Secondly, we provide direct services to those who struggle through our:
- Free, confidential 211 Helpline which had more than 700K interactions providing information and referrals around basic human needs for people in crisis;
- Ride United Last Mile Food Distribution program as well as other food distribution efforts, which donated more than 410K pounds of fresh produce across 34K home deliveries;
- Education United free, bilingual Afterschool Program which served 767 children and families in Ossining, Greenburgh, and Tarrytown;
- Educational College or Graduate Degree Scholarships through the Ruth Taylor Initiative and the African-American Men of Westchester;
- United2Read Early Childhood Literacy Program and through a Dolly Parton Imagination Library partnership which distributed more than 15K books; and
- Summer Backpack Program which distributed 5K backpacks filled with school supplies to at-risk children each year.
And finally, UWWP fosters collaborations with community stakeholders, leaders and partners to change the way we look at and solve problems. For example:
- We organize annually the capacity building event for the nonprofit community, the Nonprofit Leadership Summit, which welcomes more than 500 in-person attendees;
- We lead or participate in several surveys annually including most recently the 2025 NYS ALICE Report. The information gathered helps identify trends and local needs, and enables everyone to work together to support our community;
- And our team participates in more than 70 community-wide Task Forces and Committees focused on Systemic Change around issues of Poverty, Homelessness Prevention, Disaster Response, and the like.
In total, last year, UWWP collaborated with 316 nonprofit and school partners and leveraged or invested almost $36 million in our community.
But these aren’t just numbers. They represent real people whose lives have been changed, like …
- Wanda, a senior battling cancer, who received bedding to keep her warm during treatment;
- Kazi, a disabled veteran, who receives weekly food parcels;
- Terry, who found help through the 211 Helpline after his home was flooded;
- Miriam, who’s child attends the free Education United afterschool program, allowing her to work extra hours;
- Constance, who received a college scholarship through African-American Men of Westchester and funded by UWWP;
- And hundreds of thousands of others.
United, we provide Help for today, Hope for tomorrow, and the resources to build a Better Future for our local community.