Page 72 - Wallingford Magazine Issue 56 Autumn 2025

UNITED WAY

by Rajan Doering
The United Way provides support for many other non-
profits in the community. For years, it made large mon-
etary donations to many organizations in Meriden and
Wallingford. When Executive Director Maria Harlow
joined the United Way after previously running the Span-
ish Community of Wallingford, she made it her goal to
make the United Way adopt a more focused approach
to invest their resources in one specific area to ensure
a higher impact, and move away from the notion of be-
ing a pass-through. Therefore, she held meetings with
several stakeholder groups to identify the most pressing
needs for the community and identified one goal – work-
force development.

From there, she developed the PowerUP program that
helps the ALICE (asset-limited, income-constrained, em-
ployed) population get services through several different
agencies. The services include crisis support, guidance
to help individuals increase their income, and assistance
in overcoming barriers such as childcare, housing, and
other basic needs. With help from ARPA funding, the
PowerUp program has helped many people get out of
difficult situations, including domestic violence and
homelessness. That is not to say that the United Way has
cut support to all other programs. They still provide hol-
iday support through Adopt a Family, Giving Tree, and
Thanksgiving basket programs and engage in advocacy
with elected officials.

72 WALLINGFORD MAGAZINE - AUTUMN 2025