2025-2026 Annual Report

Research has shown that a child's earliest experiences shape lifelong health, learning, and opportunity. Children who experience significant adversity, known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), face a greater risk of chronic health conditions, educational challenges, and economic instability later in life.

ACEs include experiences such as abuse, neglect, household instability, exposure to violence, and persistent poverty. Research also shows that children in Stark County experience ACEs at higher rates than many communities across Ohio, making early intervention and family support more important than ever.

But adversity is not destiny.

Nearly two-thirds of Ohio adults report experiencing at least one ACE, and the research is equally clear that supportive relationships, stable environments, and access to community resources build resilience. Caring adults, strong families, and connected communities can dramatically improve a child's trajectory, even in the face of significant challenges.

Every program we invest in is designed with that goal in mind. By strengthening families, supporting early learning, improving financial stability, and connecting children to opportunities, we're helping build resilience today and creating brighter futures for generations to come.

Across our community, early childhood education continues to face serious challenges as pandemic-era supports have ended, federal relief dollars have declined, and other funding sources have tightened.

In response, United Way has remained committed to helping bridge the gap so children can continue to access high-quality early learning experiences. Last year, our investment helped sustain classrooms and services for young children, but the need in our community remains significant. If we are serious about investing in our youngest learners, we must continue closing funding gaps and advocating for the resources families and providers need.

Funds supplied by the United Way of Greater Stark County remain an important source of support for many community partners, including the SPARK program in Stark County, even as overall funding levels were reduced during the past year.

One of the many ways United Way supports kindergarten readiness is through our investment in SPARK, an evidence-based home visiting program that equips parents to become their child's first and most important teacher.

United Way dollars helped sustain core program activities, including staffing, parent engagement, and child assessments, ensuring families could continue to access high-quality kindergarten readiness services. At the same time, the loss of state funding had a significant impact on the program year, creating financial gaps that could not be absorbed through program reductions without affecting service quality. To maintain continuity and protect outcomes for children and families, Early Childhood Resource Center utilized organizational reserves to support SPARK operations. This combined approach allowed the program to remain stable, preserve service access in Stark County, and uphold its commitment to preparing young children for success in kindergarten despite a challenging funding environment.

Let’s look at how SPARK supports families a little more….

When a child struggles in school, it’s often about more than academics. Health challenges, unsafe housing, hunger, or trauma can stand in the way of learning — and for too many students in our community, these barriers feel impossible to overcome alone.

The CARE Team program changes that. By bringing together educators, law enforcement, mental health experts, and community agencies, CARE Team surrounds at-risk students with the support they need — right inside their school. Together, we work with students and their families to address challenges like physical and mental health needs, substance abuse, abuse or neglect, unsafe housing, and the daily stress of poverty.

United Way of Greater Stark County plays a critical role in making this possible — providing key funding for the administration of CARE Team and helping support Family Support Specialists who work directly with students and families.

This year, CARE Team partners provided on-site, immediate intervention that helped students stay in school, focus on learning, and build the confidence to see a brighter future for themselves. Our ultimate goal is simple but powerful: help children not only excel in school, but grow into self-sufficient, thriving members of our community.

With CARE Team, every student knows they are not alone — and every challenge is met with compassion, expertise, and a plan for success. CARE Team is in every school district in Stark and Carroll counties.

This success story highlights the progress of a fourth-grade student who has received support through the Behavior Coach Program since kindergarten. When he started school, he struggled with emotional regulation and classroom expectations. 

His days often included running from the classroom, intense anger, refusal to complete work, and disrespectful communication. These behaviors were not simply defiance, but connected to an unstable home situation, limited coping skills, and a school environment that felt overwhelming. Over the past five years, consistent behavioral support, relationship-building, and skill development have helped him make steady, meaningful progress. By first grade, he was running from the classroom less often and beginning to complete small amounts of work. His interactions with staff were less reactive as he learned healthier ways to express frustration.

A key part of his growth has been the strong, on-going relationship through behavior coaching. Through regular sessions focused on emotional awareness, coping strategies, problem-solving, and self-advocacy, he learned how to pause before reacting, use calming tools, and ask for support when needed. Over time, these skills became part of his daily routine. This school year, as a fourth-grade student transitioning to the intermediate building, he has shown exceptional growth. Staff describe him as a model student who has a positive attitude, participates in class, completes academic work, and interacts respectfully with peers and adults.

He comes to school smiling, has strong relationships with staff, uses coping strategies on his own, and is earning excellent grades. His story shows the long-term impact of early intervention, consistent support, and a strong student-coach relationship. Today, he is thriving emotionally, socially, and academically. His progress is a powerful reminder of what students can achieve when they are given the tools, encouragement, and support they need to succeed. (AHEAD Inc. 2025-2026).

When the 2025 government shutdown extended to 43 days, its effects quickly reached families already living on the edge. Delays and disruptions in SNAP benefits placed added pressure on household budgets and contributed to a greater need for charitable food assistance across many states, including Ohio.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the average SNAP benefit is approximately $191 per person per month — an amount that often does not stretch far enough to meet a family’s needs (2025). Throughout this period, our funded partners continued responding with urgency, working to secure and distribute food to families facing increased hardship. Of those receiving SNAP benefits, nearly all (93.4%) reported that their SNAP benefits are exhausted in the first three weeks of the month or less, and 63% exhaust SNAP benefits in 2 weeks (Ohio Association of Foodbanks, 2024). These findings underscore how quickly food assistance can run out for families and why community-based support remains essential — especially during periods of added instability.

Nearly two-thirds (65.2%) of Ohio Association of Foodbank’s neighbor households reported that the adults in their households skipped meals in the past year because they did not have enough food, including more than a third (34.9%) that reported doing so every month or almost every month over the past year (2024). These findings make clear that food insecurity is not occasional for many families — it is frequent, recurring, and deeply disruptive to household stability. And in 2025, local data from the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank showed that this need remained very real, with a 14% increase in pantry visits and a 73% increase in people served through a mobile pop-up pantry in Canton. (Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, 2025).

More than half (57.8%) of food pantry visitors reported that they were forced to choose between affording food or affording medicine or medical care, including 25.6% that reported doing so every month or almost every month over the last year (Ohio Association of Foodbanks, 2024). This ongoing tradeoff between food and basic health needs shows why sustained support for food access remains essential for families in our community. The continued rise in pantry demand in 2025 reinforces that families were still facing these same impossible choices between basic necessities.

At United Way of Greater Stark County, we believe every child deserves the chance to grow, learn, and thrive — no matter their zip code. That’s why our Strong Neighborhoods, Strong Families initiative focuses on families with children under age 8 living in high-poverty neighborhoods. By bringing programs directly into neighborhood schools, we make it easier for families to discover, access, and use the services that can change their lives.

We combine essential basic-needs supports with high-quality community programs that build academic, social, and emotional skills — both for children and their caregivers. When basic needs like food, housing, and transportation are met, families have the breathing room to focus on healthy relationships, education, and long-term goals.

This work also helps prevent or reduce the lasting effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) by creating stable, nurturing environments during the most important years of development. Every school site is different, and each one is shaped by the unique needs, priorities, and strengths of its families.

Our success is possible only because of strong partnerships with schools, community organizations, and neighbors, all working hand in hand. United Way provides the backbone, connecting partners, coordinating services, and keeping our shared focus on reducing the impact of poverty. We’re excited to complete a strategic plan this year that will guide Strong Neighborhoods, Strong Families toward helping even more children when it matters most. Together, we’re ensuring that students walk into classrooms ready to learn, and teachers have the support they need to inspire their students.

For many families, tax season is more than a deadline — it’s an opportunity. It’s a chance to recover dollars they’ve earned, access important tax credits, and take a step toward greater financial stability.

Through United Way of Greater Stark County’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, eligible individuals and families receive free, accurate tax preparation services from IRS-certified volunteers. The program helps remove barriers for households with low-to-moderate incomes, older adults, individuals with disabilities, and those who may face challenges accessing traditional tax preparation services. 

For more than a decade, VITA has helped ensure that families keep more of their hard-earned income. Without this service, many taxpayers would spend hundreds of dollars on tax preparation fees — dollars that can instead go toward groceries, housing costs, transportation, childcare, or building a stronger financial future.

Beyond tax preparation, VITA strengthens our entire community by bringing millions of dollars back into the local economy while providing meaningful volunteer opportunities that build skills, confidence, and connection.

During the most recent tax season, United Way’s VITA program helped individuals and families:

Complete more than 3,200 tax returns

Bring $3.8 million in federal refunds back into our community

Access $815,817 in Earned Income Tax Credits

Save an estimated $1.145 million in tax preparation fees

Each return represents more than a form completed — it represents a family with more resources, a stronger financial foundation, and greater opportunity.

We are grateful to the dedicated volunteers, partners, and supporters who make this work possible and help ensure that every dollar earned has the greatest possible impact.

A stronger community is built by people who choose to show up for one another. Every year, thousands of volunteers across our community give their time, talents, and energy to help create meaningful change.

Through United Way of Greater Stark County, volunteers serve in countless ways — supporting programs, strengthening community initiatives, sharing their expertise, and helping ensure resources reach the people who need them most. 

Whether packing food, preparing tax returns through VITA, supporting local events, serving on committees, or lending a helping hand to a neighbor, each volunteer plays an important role in building a community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Last year, 1,500 volunteers contributed 6,208 hours of service, representing an estimated $163,500 in community value. But the true impact of volunteerism extends far beyond the hours donated. Volunteers bring connection, compassion, and a shared commitment to creating a stronger Stark County.

We are grateful for every individual who chooses to invest their time and talents in our mission. Together, we are proving that when people come together, lasting change is possible.