The United Way strives to meet the soaring demand from families pushed into poverty by rising inflation.

“Our No. 1 priority and our focus is on helping families that are impoverished,” said Randy Kuhlman, the chief executive officer of the Community Foundation and United Way.

The foundation manages 155 funds that provide money to support all kinds of different needs and priorities throughout the community.

Perhaps the most visible project that the foundation has supported was the transformation last year of the Albert Habhab Veterans Memorial Bridge on First Avenue South.

United Way

Kuhlman said over the past two years the United Way has been helping families that were devastated by the spike in inflation.

He said during that time period, the price of groceries went up 22 percent. He added that evictions from apartments and rental homes went up 70 percent.

“Our main focus is working with families with children,” Kuhlman said.

Most of the families the United Way works with are single-parent families headed by the mother, he added.

The United Way’s caseload quadrupled in 2024. Kuhlman said two to four calls for help are received a day.

“Many of the stories are heartbreaking,” he said.

The United Way can provide help with paying for water bills, food, or short-term shelter. But it also can connect people who need help with all kinds of other agencies that assist with things like finding a job.

“We’re not here just to give out handouts,” Kuhlman said. “We’re here to stabilize families.”

Its Wheels for Work program conducted with Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota provides donated vehicles to families with children who need a reliable vehicle.

Bridging the Gap is a United Way program that can provide essential furniture to families in poverty. It started as a way to get beds to children who were sleeping on the floor. It has since grown to offer other kinds of furniture.

Kuhlman said 80 to 90 beds are distributed each year.

“We’ve had great support from the community on that one,” he said.

Community Foundation

The foundation has about $23.4 million under management across the 155 funds it oversees.

Kuhlman said he continues to encourage people to establish funds as a way to support projects and causes that are important to them. The foundation does what Kuhlman calls “the back office work” to manage the funds.

One of the funds it oversees is for the bridge named after Habhab, an Army veteran of World War II who was mayor of Fort Dodge, a district court judge and ultimately chief judge of the Iowa Court of Appeals.

The bridge project so far includes markers attached to the lamp posts that are folded American flags and emblems of the branches of the United States military. Future plans include decorative lighting and a plaza on the bridge’s east side.

About $250,000 has been raised for the bridge project so far, according to Kuhlman.

The foundation also sponsors the Safe Communities Coalition, a crime prevention initiative.

Last year, the coalition partnered with the Webster County Sheriff’s Office to obtain a federal grant. That grant helped pay for two things. One was for software that law enforcement officers can use to access seized cell phones after obtaining a search warrant. The rest of the money will be used to found the outreach and education efforts of the Safe Communities Coalition.