Take Action

Interested in taking the next steps to do more for your community? Consider volunteering for one of our programs or joining one of our Committees!

Program Volunteer Opportunities

Diaper Bank

Our United Way supports local families with nearly 20,000 diapers and pull-ups a month for free. Our annual diaper drive is a huge part of making sure we can help our littlest neighbors! Become a local hero by helping hundreds of babies and families in your community.

During our diaper drives, we can use:

  • Donation drop-off sites (stores, offices, organizations, businesses)

  • Volunteers (to transport donations from sites and to table at drive events)

  • Word-spreaders (to bring attention to our drive)

Any time of year, volunteers are welcome to collect diaper donations, perhaps as part of a baby shower in your family or a team-building initiative at your office. Anyone can run collections at their office or home throughout the year!

Please reach out to us if you’re interested in helping:

  • program@uw-fh.org

  • 413-584-3962 x102

  • Get updates about our Diaper Bank here

Read! Learn! Succeed!

From October through May, United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region supports our region’s schools and early ed programs through our Read! Learn! Succeed! early literacy programming.

Volunteers can help by reading aloud once a month for no more than 30 minutes, including reading and chatting about the book. Visits take place during the school day in a preschool or kindergarten classroom from our region. We can always use substitute readers, as well. If interested in reading for the 2025-6 school year, please click here to complete this quick Google Form.

  • Volunteers pick up class book sets from an UWFH office (Northampton or Greenfield), typically the week before reading.

  • Classes include an average of 15 students, and teachers are present during the visit.

  • Masking, vaccination, fingerprinting, paperwork, and/or CORI checks may be required based on individual school policy.

Learn more about our Read! Learn! Succeed! program.

Women’s Way

Our local women-run organization fighting for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in Franklin County. Women’s Way celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2025.

Each year Women’s Way hosts two signature events: Supper for Six, which helps cover the food gap many families deal with during the February school break, and Blooming Backpacks, a school supply drive to make sure every student is ready for the new school year.

For more info, visit our Women’s Way page and learn about the programs below.

Blooming Backpacks

By providing free backpacks filled with essential school supplies, the annual Women’s Way Blooming Backpacks initiative helps take an expense off of families’ plates, and guarantees that students can begin the school year confidently and equipped with important learning tools.

Help ensure that local children and youth will start their school year feeling prepared and cared for by their community.

Mark you calendars for August if you are interested in helping us to organize and sort donated backpacks and school supplies so every child has the learning tools they need.

Supper for Six

Individuals and businesses are encouraged to fill reusable bags, each with the ingredients to make a complete dinner, to help support families in our region over February school vacation week. This is a time when the school food services many families rely on are closed, and food pantries are strained. Trusted United Way partner agencies distribute these donated bags to students and their families through their programming.

100% of donations directly benefit local families through trusted UWFH partners, including area food pantries and family assistance programs. Fill a reusable grocery bag with non-perishable items to create a dinner for a family of six people.

We would love volunteers to assist with bringing donations into our office during the Supper for Six event. Supper for Six runs in February before February school break.