Avon Maitland District School Board
Workplace Campaign
Greetings from United Way
We invite you to join with United Way this November by donating to our annual campaign. Your donation stays in the community you work in, directly supporting your school families.
The easiest way to give is through payroll deductions. We invite all AMDSB staff to participate with a donation amount that works for you. For example, a donation of just $20 from each pay can make an extraordinary difference to the community you work in. Support the the students and families you work with every day through United Way.
If you have any questions about United Way, or are having difficulty donating, contact Susan Faber at sfaber@perthhuron.unitedway.ca or call (519) 271-7730 x232
Click your school or office name to donate through PAYROLL or Credit Card
(if you work at multiple sites, select Education Centre)
Elementary Schools
Secondary Schools
Other
Information relevant to your work in education
United Way is here for your school community
Every day, educators see how challenges outside the classroom can affect students inside it. A family may be struggling to afford groceries or rent. A young person may need mental health support. Someone may need help finding housing, transportation or other essential services.
United Way Perth-Huron works with local organizations and community partners to make supports easier to find and access. In 2025/26, United Way supported 27 local agencies and 33 programs serving vulnerable individuals and families across our region.
Here are some resources AMDSB staff can share with students and families.
Not sure where to start? Call 211
You don’t have to know which organization provides the right service.
Dial 2-1-1.
211 connects people with social services, programs and community supports.
A trained 211 Navigator can help someone identify appropriate local supports. The service is free, confidential, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and offered in more than 150 languages.
Think 211 when a student or family needs help with things such as:
- food
- housing
- mental health and well-being
- financial challenges
- family supports
- transportation
- community and social services
You don’t need to have the answer. Help them start with 211.
When an unexpected expense becomes a crisis: Urgent Needs Fund
Sometimes a relatively small expense can put a household already living on a tight budget into crisis.
United Way Perth-Huron’s Urgent Needs Fund, powered by 211, helps Perth-Huron residents experiencing an immediate financial crisis with essential services and basic needs. Current examples include rent arrears, groceries, car repairs, child care, dental care and winter clothing.
If a student or family may need help, call 2-1-1. A 211 Navigator will talk through the situation, look for available local supports and, if the Urgent Needs Fund is an appropriate option, help begin the application process.
Learn more about the Urgent Needs Fund
Connecting people to help close to home
The communities served by AMDSB are diverse, and access to services can look very different in a small rural community than in a larger centre.
United Way Perth-Huron invests in local programs and services and works with partners on issues including homelessness, mental health and access to services, combining immediate supports with longer-term solutions, research and advocacy.
One example is the Connection Centre model, designed to make it easier for vulnerable people to access basic needs and connect with services locally. Current UWPH reporting from Southern Huron, for example, records 9,895 visits to the Southern Huron Connection Centre, along with local youth-hub visits, service-access supports and assistance with basic needs.
Explore what’s happening in the community where you teach:
- Stratford & Area
- St. Marys & Area
- North Perth
- Southern Huron
- Mid-Huron (formerly Goderich & Area)
- Northern Huron
Explore United Way’s local impact
Local research for your classroom
Want students to explore issues affecting the communities where they live?
United Way Perth-Huron’s local research gives educators a way to bring local data and local experiences into classroom discussions.
Research includes:
- Discrimination and Community Integration Experienced by 2SLGBTQ+ in Perth-Huron
- Our Stories of the Housing Crisis
- Quality of Life in Perth & Huron County
- Household Food Insecurity in Perth-Huron
For example, Our Stories of the Housing Crisis draws on responses from more than 700 local households, mostly working families with children, to examine how rising housing costs are affecting Perth-Huron households.
These resources can support classroom conversations about poverty, housing, food insecurity, community well-being and the social determinants of health.
Explore United Way Perth-Huron research
Understanding the pressures facing local families
The cost of meeting basic needs affects families throughout our region.
United Way Perth-Huron’s Living Wage work looks at what it actually costs to live in our communities. The calculation considers local expenses including food, childcare, clothing and footwear, shelter, communications, insurance and transportation, using the Canadian Living Wage Framework methodology.
For educators, this research provides useful context for understanding why working families can still experience financial stress, food insecurity and difficulty affording housing and other essentials.
Your donation stays connected to the communities you serve
When you support United Way Perth-Huron through the AMDSB workplace campaign, you’re helping strengthen the same communities where your students and their families live.
Your support helps United Way invest in local programs, connect people to immediate help, develop innovative community initiatives, conduct research and advocate for long-term solutions to local challenges.
Give where you live. Give where you work. Help create stronger communities for your students and their families.