Health unit giving cash to United Way

Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit staff will give nearly $21,000 to the United Way of Greater Simcoe County today.

In total, health unit staff raised about 16 per cent more money for United Way than they did last year. The donation will make the health unit one of the United Way branch's top 20 corporate supporters. Donations were collected through every health unit office, including Cookstown, Barrie, Orillia and Midland.

The United Way is one of the largest non-government sources of social service funding in Simcoe County. During the 2007 campaign, the branch earned nearly $1.4 million in funding.

Over 80 per cent of funds donated to the branch are raised in the workplace, mostly through payroll deduction programs. More than 150 county employers support the United Way.