SAFFORD — The United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties made more than $24,000 in grants available for six programs and two event sponsorships in November.
Receiving funding were:
Education
- $5,000 — Thatcher High School for the ALL IN Initiative
- $968.58 — Ruth Powell Elementary School for fourth-grade libraries
Health
- $1,000 — AYSO Gila Valley Elite 11U Girls Team for tournament support
Economic Stability
- $5,000 — Gila Watershed Partnership of Arizona for the Restructuring/Strategic Planning meeting facilitation
- $3,858.92 — Fairbanks Middle School for Student Council concession stand equipment
- $1,353.21 — Pima Elementary School for the popcorn stand project
Event Sponsorships
- $5,000 — Gila Valley Disc Golf Club for two tournaments in 2026
- $2,000 — Graham County Substance Abuse Coalition for the sixth-grade project event
In addition, the local United Way made special funding available to food banks in Graham and Greenlee counties.
“Over the shut-down, the pantry shelves were just, pretty much, wiped out,” said Denise Benton, executive director for United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties. “So we got wind of that, and we started hearing from some of the pantry directors, and we were able to do over $26,000 in some emergency funding to help re-stock some shelves.”
Despite November being the end of the grant funding cycle for 2025, United Way will announce year-end funding totals after the holidays, to take into account any further emergency funding requests from nonprofits that provide essential services.
