Wesleyan has a long history of employees giving to the Middlesex United Way. Since 2001, the caring community of Wesleyan faculty and staff have contributed over $2 million to the United Way campaign. Last year alone, 318 Wesleyan employees contributed over $100,000.

The Middlesex United Way is a locally based, volunteer-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening lives, helping people, and improving community conditions in the 15 towns in Middlesex County. The United Way partners with local agencies and organizations to provide critical services and programs, while it seeks solutions to chronic community problems.  The organization focuses on education, income, health, housing, and racial equity and inclusion. This work has been especially critical as families and communities across Middlesex County continue to negotiate the devastating impact of the pandemic.

Make a contribution today and help:

Ensure MORE of our neighbors’ basic needs are met.

• Before the pandemic, over 16,000 Middlesex County residents faced food insecurity. Feeding America estimates that Middlesex County saw a 22% increase in food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of our partners, a local food pantry, served 178% more meals in 2020.

Ensure MORE individuals and families are economically stable.

• Since February 2020, 20% of Connecticut adults reported that at least one adult in their household has lost their job or been laid off. 29% have had their work hours reduced or have been placed on a temporary furlough.

Ensure MORE individuals and families are healthy and safe.

• In Connecticut, an estimated 54% of adults with a mental health illness did not receive treatment in 2020.
• 14% of Connecticut youth report having at least one major depressive episode and 4% reported having a substance abuse disorder. In 2020, 59% of young people living in Connecticut with depression did not receive mental health services.

Ensure MORE students succeed academically.

• In Connecticut, 17% percent of black students and 53% of white students in fourth grade were proficient in reading – that’s a staggering 36-point gap.
• In Connecticut, 26% percent of Latinx students and 56% of white students in fourth grade were proficient in math – that’s a 30-point gap. And it gets worse by the time students reach eighth grade – it’s a 33-point gap.

Ensure MORE individuals and families can thrive in an anti-racist, equitable, and inclusive community.

• Poverty rates are higher among communities of color. In Middlesex County, 5% of white households were living in poverty compared to 15% of Black, 20% of Latinx, 10% of Asian, and 36% of Native American households.