Mike Wolanin | The Republic Columbus firefighters Wes Thayer, left, Mitch Tuttle construct gift delivery boxes for the Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund at the Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund building in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.
United Way of Bartholomew County’s United We Help Line for Holiday Assistance is nearing the end of its operations this year. The last day to register is Friday.
To register, call 812-376-0011. Calls are taken until around 4 p.m.
Since opening on Oct. 1, around 3,147 children have been registered through the help line for various holiday assistance programs around the county. This includes Toys for Tots, Shop With a Cop, the Firemen’s Cheer Fund, Christmas With a Vet, Community Center of Hope and St. Bartholomew Giving Tree.
“Right now we are at the same point that we were at this time last year, so numbers are pretty much spot on,” United Way Volunteer Action Center director Alicia Monroe said.
The help line coordinates with these programs to eliminate duplication, as children can only register for one program, so they can help as many families as possible, Monroe said. Around 3,358 Bartholomew County children were helped through the help line last year.
This year, the help line opened two weeks earlier. Where they typically start on or around Oct. 15, Monroe said they decided to start on Oct. 1 as a few programs start on that date. That way, all of the programs roll out at the same time and people can choose what they want, she said.
“… because if they sign up for one program and then they find out about another program later, they can’t swap, we don’t change programs,” Monroe said. “So because all of them rolled out at one time, then they have all of the information and they’re able to make the decision on what they want to do.”
Their numbers for registration have been very steady this year, Monroe said, but they usually see a rush during the last week. A trend they continue to see, according to United Way Director of Communications & Marketing Magen Pillar, is families who have never reached out for assistance reaching out for holiday help.
“Rising prices for basic needs are making it harder for some families to make ends meet, and they’re turning to holiday assistance programs for support,” Pillar said.
