The United Way of Greater Chattanooga is one of more than 1,100 sibling nonprofits in a network that spans nearly 35 countries, but it is receiving global recognition for a unique approach to helping working families.
United Way’s local chapter focuses on supporting employed people who struggle to afford basic needs, a designation it says 26% of Hamilton County households meet.
It decided three years ago to begin partnering with the group that has the most power to change these conditions: Chattanooga employers.
The local nonprofit celebrated three years of its United for Working Families program Tuesday at a conference attended by representatives of some of the city’s largest companies, like McKee Foods, the Tennessee Valley Authority and Unum.