….Because I Have Known Hunger 

by Michael Tukeva, President/CEO Pocono Mountains United Way

Each individual has a personal reason why they give. I recently had coffee with a new donor to United Way. When I asked why he chose to give, his reply was simple, “Because I have known hunger.” 

That answer stayed with me. 

He did not start with a statistic. He did not talk about a program. He did not ask for a chart, a report, or a long explanation. 

He gave because the work touched something true in his own story. 

That is often how generosity works. People give when they recognize themselves in the need, in the solution, or in the values being lived out. They give because they have been helped. They give because someone once believed in them. They give because they want children to have a stronger start, families to have support, and neighbors to know they are not alone. 

At Pocono Mountains United Way, we see this every day. Donors do not stand outside the work. They become part of it. 

When you give, volunteer, advocate, or open a door, you are saying something about who you are and what kind of community you believe in. 

You are saying that people matter. 

You are saying that caring well for others still matters. 

So I will ask you the same question I am asking many others this year: 

Where do you see yourself in the work of United Way?