Since 2011, the United States has recognized Nov. 16 as “Information and Referral Services Day,” or “I&R” Day for short. United Way’s 2-1-1 is the local I&R service. Anyone can call 2-1-1 to learn about available resources in the community. The line is staffed 24/7 by trained information specialists.

Thanksgiving is coming up, and for most of the community this means planning, preparing and celebrating with family and friends. For others, however, these festivities fall behind their priority of obtaining food or shelter for themselves and their families. At this time of the year, many of the calls to United Way’s 2-1-1 are related to food and shelter resources.

“Mary,” for example, was facing a weekend without food recently. She didn’t know of any food pantries in her area that would be open before the week’s end, so she called United Way’s 2-1-1 for help. An Information Specialist let Mary know about a neighborhood pantry that would be able to accommodate her need. In a follow-up call, Mary shared that she had gotten help with enough food to hold her over through the weekend and expressed her deep thanks.

This Thanksgiving season, consider supporting our community by donating to or volunteering at a local food pantry to help distribute supplies to neighbors – like “Mary” – in need.

If you are in need of services, you can visit http://www.unitedwaymc.org to access listings for health and human services programs, or call 2-1-1.