Your Community, Your Impact:
- United Way of Grays Harbor
- Apr 11, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 18, 2025
Why Donate to United Way Grays Harbor?
United Way Grays Harbor is a local nonprofit that works in partnership with other nonprofit organizations to strengthen programs serving Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties. While individual nonprofits focus on delivering specific services, United Way plays a coordinating role by bringing community voices together, identifying shared priorities, and directing resources where they are most needed.
Donations are managed through established, transparent processes and directed to trusted local nonprofit partners. This helps ensure support stays local, is used as intended, and contributes to consistent, well coordinated services for families, children, and neighbors across the community.
At United Way Grays Harbor, our work is rooted in the people and places we serve. Across Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties, we focus on what matters most to our community, including families working to stay stable, children building their futures, and neighbors supporting one another.
United Way brings people and resources together to address shared challenges in a practical, community driven way, connecting local needs with local support. Turning compassion into action.
How We Decide Where to Help
We focus on maximizing the impact of our efforts. Each year, we listen to local nonprofits share their needs and goals. Our Board of Directors, composed of community volunteers, carefully reviews these proposals to ensure funding is directed toward real, measurable change that aligns with our community impact initiatives.
What Are Our Impact Initiatives?
Our work aligns with three core priorities: healthy communities, youth opportunity, and financial stability - the building blocks of a resilient community.
Locally, we bring these priorities to life through four Impact Initiatives, each addressing critical needs in our region and guiding where support goes.
Here’s what we’re tackling together:
Building Healthy Communities: FEEDGH – Good Mental & Physical Health
Why it matters: Good mental and physical health are at the core of what makes a community thrive. When families have food on the table, they don’t just survive—they thrive. Healthy, nutritious meals provide the strength, stability, and hope to help individuals, families, and the elderly face life’s challenges.
Through FeedGH, we back programs like:
Feed the Hungry serves over 35,000 hot, nutritious meals annually to families, seniors, and individuals.
Creating Youth Opportunity:
READGH – Early Learning & Literacy
Why it matters: Early literacy builds the foundation for future learning. READGH funds programs to ensure children have access to books and educational resources so they can develop essential skills that help them succeed in school and beyond. You provide more than books; you give kids the tools to grow, learn, and excel.
Through READGH, United Way Grays Harbor Funds:
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails a monthly free book to children, helping them develop early reading skills and a love for learning.
Empowering Youth
EDUCATEGH – Student Support
Why it matters: EDUCATEGH ensures every child has the support to reach their full potential. Through mentorship, afterschool programs, and leadership training, we create safe and nourishing environments where youth can grow and become tomorrow’s leaders.
Through EDUCATEGH, we back programs like:
YMCA Launchpad & Park and Play provide afterschool care and meals, offering kids the space to grow and develop life skills.
Teen United helps high school students lead projects that build leadership skills and impact our community.
Every teen who gains leadership skills and every child who receives a meal and mentorship is a step toward building a stronger, more resilient, and connected community.
Strengthening Financial Security
WORKGH – Job Readiness & Family Stability
Why it matters: Families need stability to thrive. The WORKGH initiative helps families access resources like job training, housing support, and childcare, providing the tools they need to break the cycle of poverty and build a secure future.
Through WORKGH, we back programs like:
Snug Harbor Nursery + COPE helps young parents with childcare, career prep, and educational services to help break the cycle of poverty.
Are You Ready to Unite?
At United Way, we ask you to care. To learn. To share. And when you’re ready, step in with us. When YOU step in, together, we can build a resilient community where all can thrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does United Way Grays Harbor decide where donations go?
United Way Grays Harbor distributes funds to local nonprofit programs serving Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties based on community priorities. Local volunteers and board members review program requests to ensure support is directed to areas of greatest local need.
Does United Way Grays Harbor keep donations local?
Yes. Donations to United Way Grays Harbor stay local and support nonprofit programs serving Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties. Funding decisions are made locally to address challenges facing our own communities.
How does United Way Grays Harbor support other nonprofits?
United Way Grays Harbor works in partnership with local nonprofit organizations by coordinating funding, aligning shared priorities, and helping strengthen the overall network of services available to families and individuals across the region.
Why give through United Way Grays Harbor instead of giving to one organization?
Giving through United Way Grays Harbor helps support multiple trusted local programs through one community guided process. This approach complements direct giving and helps ensure services across the community are coordinated and responsive to changing needs.
How is United Way Grays Harbor different from a single program nonprofit?
While many nonprofits focus on one specific service, United Way Grays Harbor takes a broader view of community needs. By working with multiple partners, United Way helps connect resources, reduce gaps in services, and support long term community stability.
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