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For more than 70 years, the United Way of Greater New Bedford has been growing and evolving to provide for those in need with a diverse array of funding, programs and services. Led by a vast team of volunteers, donors and staff members, the charitable work of this nonprofit organization is vital, virtuous, and rewarding as it aims to combat many of the persistent challenges facing the community.
In 18 years as president and CEO of the UWGNB, Michelle N. Hantman has overseen substantial progress for the organization, going beyond raising money for local services and charities to become a more hands-on, proactive member of the community. And according to Hantman, there may be more dimensions to the modern UWGNB than many people realize. In her words, “This isn’t your grandfather’s United Way.”
There are myriad ways that the UWGNB is providing for citizens in the region, and this year they launched a pair of initiatives aimed at helping people economically.
“Financial Wellness at Work” embeds a community-based coordinator in workplaces to provide employees with coaching, workshops and access to resources.
They also began “Financial Futures,” a 12-week program in comprehensive financial literacy designed to assist women by helping to increase credit scores, help save money, help pay bills, and cut debt.
In 2007, the UWGNB launched the Family Resource and Development Center. One of 30 family centers in the state, it is a safe space and service for families facing difficult situations, offering parent education courses, support groups, access to computers and fax machines to create resumes, fill out applications and more.
For the 10th consecutive summer, the UWGNB is working with the Hunger Commission to fund the Mobile Market program, which provides free fresh produce for citizens who are experiencing food insecurity. The UWGNB created the Hunger Commission in 1995 as a food rescue and delivery operation and it has since evolved from a station wagon to a box truck, accepting food donations from vendors and suppliers such as farms and supermarkets, including the Share the Harvest Community Farm located at the YMCA in South Dartmouth. The reach of the Hunger Commission goes beyond Greater New Bedford to include areas of Greater Fall River.
This Thanksgiving will be the 10th year for the program Hunger Heroes, where volunteers of all ages will package 1,000 meals to be sent to area food pantries and nonprofit organizations for distribution to local clients.
The “Bright by Text” program is a free service to parents and caregivers of children who are prenatal to age 8. A national program facilitated locally by Women United, it sends texts to subscriber’s phones including tips, activities, events and resources available in the area for children. Subscribers receive two to four texts per week in their choice of English or Spanish.
With funding from workplace donors, individuals, companies, events, state contracts and grants, the organization’s backbone is its volunteers, of which it currently has 930. In that spirit, since 2013 the UWGNB has hosted the Volunteer SouthCoast initiative, a website that connects local nonprofits and citizens interested in contributing their time, talents and energies. There are opportunities for individuals as well as their children in a wide range of capacities.
There are many examples of how the UWGNB is helping in the community. Last year, a local woman and her husband were working full-time jobs when they became the guardians of their two teenage grandchildren, a situation that put a strain on their finances. While their incomes made them ineligible to receive SNAP benefits they still needed help putting food on their table, especially healthy food. Finding food at local pantries was difficult due to the hours they worked. Last year, the couple learned about the Mobile Market, and the evening hours made it easier for the family to have access to healthy food options for free.
When a local couple had their vehicle repossessed while one of them was out of work due to medical reasons, their supervisor stepped in and informed them of the Financial Wellness at Work program. During a consultation with the program’s coordinator, they were able to access the small loan program (through the Taunton Federal Credit Union) and set up a savings plan tailored for future emergencies. Within the same week they were able to get their car back, allowing her to not miss any work days.
A local mother who was a victim of ongoing domestic violence and feared for her safety, recently brought her young daughter to the United Way’s Family Resource and Development Center seeking housing and in need of translation services. With the assistance of a United Way Family Support Worker they completed a domestic violence housing application, and had the opportunity to live in temporary housing. When she began experiencing financial difficulties and was unable to pay the rent and security deposit on an apartment, the mother reached out to the United Way’s Help United Fund and received a grant that covered what she owed. Today the woman and her child are safe and secure in their new apartment, and she has found work to support them.
Hantman understands the good that can come from volunteering. Her introduction to the UWGNB was as a 22-year-old college graduate, whose volunteering soon led to positions as the communications coordinator and vice president of development at the organization. She stepped away for two years to work as communications and development director for the Global Learning Charter School in New Bedford before taking the reins at the UWGNB.
Hantman is quick to point out the efforts of the “small but mighty team” that surrounds her every day.
Dr. Shanna Howell is the chair of the Board of Directors for the UWGNB, and she has been on the board since 2019. She describes Hantman as a “wonderful person and leader.”
“Michelle is a leader who is heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the United Way,” Howell says. “She’s not one of those leaders who just sits back and lets everybody do their thing. She wants to know what’s going on, what’s happening. She’s heavily involved in the community, and she’s well known by everyone in the Greater New Bedford area. She’s done an excellent job with the United Way since I’ve been here.”
Born and raised in Fairhaven and a graduate of Bishop Stang High School, Hantman also received a degree from Emerson College in Boston. She currently resides in Rochester with her husband of 21 years, Jason, and their 14-year old son, Maxson.
Hantman talked with The Light about the value of volunteering, the evolution of the work being done at the UWGNB and how the organization has grown beyond its initial role as a workplace fundraiser for local charities to offering a significant number of contributions to the region.
New Bedford Light: The Family Resource Center is a major initiative for the United Way. Could you talk more about it?
Michelle N. Hantman: We started it in 2007 and expanded in 2015, and that family center is funded by the Department of Children and Families, so it is a partnership. And we have a team of family support workers. We have a contract with Child and Family to provide us some clinical services.
We’re meeting with people who are referred to us from a variety of different sources. We’re helping them with lots of different things, whether it’s to get housing, to get food, to get support for their child and services that they might need to access. It’s pretty diverse for why people come to us. Last year we saw more than 600 families and there [were] multiple people in that number. It’s a pretty significant number that we’re seeing. We also offer through the center some parent support groups and parent education. We have a multilingual staff that is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, Cape Verdean Creole. So we are very much able to help people who come from diverse backgrounds and be able to serve them with cultural competency in their language necessary to meet their needs.
NBL: What are the factors that have contributed to your expansion?
MNH: In the case of the Family Resource Center, it was an opportunity that came to us. We were already doing some work in partnership with the Department of Children and Families, and so when they piloted the Family Center concept we were one of the initial pilots, because we already had a program with them. We had a relationship. That opportunity came to us.
But there are a lot of things that we have ramped up over the last 18 years, one of them being our volunteer effort, and that really is because we felt there is a need for more volunteer opportunities in the community, a way to bring more people into service, and so our Volunteers South Coast website is something that is a free tool for anyone in the community that is looking for a volunteer opportunity, and it’s free for the nonprofits to use and leverage as a way to recruit their volunteers, and we’re really proud of that initiative. We refer to it as the match.com for nonprofits and volunteers. It’s a great tool.
And we have also created some of our own volunteer initiatives that people and families can use to volunteer with the United Way. The platform is there as a resource and a tool for the nonprofit sector, and for the community at large to benefit from. We’ve created some of our own volunteer days and volunteer initiatives to engage people in the community. Our Hunger Heroes events are a testament to that — it’ll be year 10 in the fall. We get hundreds of volunteers together to package meals for families, and the impetus for that kind of came to me organically when I had my child. When he started school I had some moms asking me when he was in preschool, “Is there a place that we can volunteer with our kids at this age?” And I realized there wasn’t. So I remember coming back to my team and saying, “We could create something that would be family-friendly and something that people could feel comfortable coming together as a family and participate in. And that was how the Hunger Heroes event was born. Thanks to the talents of the people on my team that took an idea and made it great. We’re really proud of that initiative.
NBL: Could you talk about the Volunteer SouthCoast Initiative website?
MNH: VolunteerSouthCoast.org is a completely free website. … It’s two-fold in the sense that any nonprofit that utilizes volunteers can use it as a place to find volunteers. They can create a profile, they can create the types of volunteer opportunities they have available whether they are ongoing or a one-time thing. They can really be as detailed as they want on the types of skills that a volunteer might need to do the work that they’re posting about.
And then on the flipside of it, if you’re somebody who wants to get involved with an organization — maybe you are a student who has a graduate requirement of so many service hours or something like that — it’s a great place to go to look for a volunteer opportunity, as opposed to just Googling “Where should I volunteer?” This is already populated with local organizations who have listed what they have available and what they need. So it’s a very efficient way to connect the organization with the volunteers.
We would love more people who need volunteers to take advantage of it and use it. It’s a completely free tool and we would love more people to know it is an opportunity for them to find places to serve.
NBL: How do you decide what programs are necessary for the community? Where do the ideas come from?
MNH: There are a lot of different examples. The idea for the Mobile Market was not something that we created or that I generated, but in discussions with the Greater Boston Food Bank it really struck a chord with me. My co-chair at the time, we went to visit them, and I thought, “Wow, that would be great for us.” But of course, new initiatives take capacity — they take people, they take resources to pull them off. So I kind of tucked that idea in my head somewhere and I think it was like two years after that we had an opportunity to apply to something that we felt was a good shot.
So we started the Mobile Market initiative through a grant from Bank of America that really kicked off the idea. And now we’ve been doing Mobile Markets for many years. But the reason that we finally decided to do this was in 2008 when things got challenging economically, we were hearing from people that were contributors that used to give to United Way and now found themselves unemployed and struggling. … And we realized that we had many wonderful programs in place, lots of great food pantries, many of them are our partners and we support through the Hunger Commission work. But we realized that a lot of these pantries have hours that really aren’t ideal for people that are working and are still struggling, so the Mobile Market really came out of that idea that we need some programs that operate at hours, outside of those hours. So the Mobile Market runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m. so that people who are working a typical shift can still come and get what they need and get free produce for their families.
NBL: Do you model yourself after any other organizations or other United Ways?
MNH: Each United Way is completely independent. With that said, it’s like having over a thousand cousins that you can lean on and call when you need something or share an idea. So there are some things that we’ve heard that the United Way has done or created and we inquire to figure out if it will make sense for our community. As an example, our newest program — Financial Wellness at Work — was something that we did learn about by being in the United Way, United Way Worldwide. Our foundation created this model and for over 16 years there’s been a United Way in Vermont that’s been leading the charge in this program. But since then there have been many United Ways across the country that have adopted it.
And we’ve launched our Financial Wellness at Work program this past spring, and that is a workplace-based financial literacy and support group. So we have a person that is our Financial Wellness Coordinator who sits within some of these partner companies that have committed to the program and she really serves as an extension of their team … to be a support and be a resource in ways that sometimes a typical HR person can’t do. So if they know a person is homeless or living out of their car, or struggling to get to work because these are things happening in the background that are preventing them, this person is helping them navigate and access resources and helping them in these situations.
NBL: How have you seen the region change and grow in your lifetime and your 18 years at the United Way?
MNH: I think there is a vibrancy to the region that is much more apparent now than when I started working at the United Way. We used to own a building on William Street. Twenty four years ago when I first started at the UW as a volunteer and shortly thereafter as a staff person, I didn’t always feel safe leaving the office at night or being concerned about where I’ve parked. I never feel that anymore. … I think that this community, this region, certainly the downtown district, has just come alive in such great ways — there’s so much to do, to see, to eat, to shop, to meet people. It’s great because there’s lots of options when we need to meet with people in the community. But I think there’s a vibrancy, an energy that exists here that has certainly gotten stronger, more positive and more vibrant.
NBL: What are the benefits of being a volunteer?
MNH: I would answer it in two ways. Generally, to be a volunteer serving any organization, if you make a good connection and decide to serve with an organization it’s usually because you’re passionate about their mission, or you’re at least intrigued in learning more about the work. And I think when you get to get inside of an organization, you serve an organization, you really get to see things that you maybe wouldn’t otherwise see in your normal life or your work life. That sometimes can be humbling. Or it’s also a place to use your talent and give your talent to an organization that could really utilize them and benefit from them that can’t always afford them.
I know, especially when I talk to young people and talk to them about service, or volunteerism, I always say it should be mutually beneficial — it definitely should be something that not only are you helping that organization, but you need to get something out of it too.
I think that there are also some benefits for people to volunteer — such as social benefits, becoming more aware of community needs, as well as refining your own skills. And I think it looks good on a college application, or a resume. I think there’s only positive things that can come out of volunteering.
I wouldn’t be doing this work today and be here today if I didn’t start at the United Way as a volunteer. Never did I think that was the case and it was not originally the path I thought I was on. But in my case I fell in love with the work and I fell in love with the organization and I’m still here.
But I hope I’ve instilled that in my son and I hope that he will be someone who wants to get involved in organizations that he’s passionate about. That only growth and good things can come from aligning and giving back to an organization that does good work.
I just had a meeting with our two interns who are about to finish their time with us and it was great to hear their reflections and hear about what a great experience it was, but what they kept about it was they couldn’t believe how much we did. They had no idea how much we do. So being in here as part of our team in an ongoing way really opened their eyes to the breadth and depth of the work and all of the things we do to support the community.
NBL: You’ve used the phrase, “This isn’t your grandfather’s United Way.” Are there any misconceptions people have about the UW? What are people surprised to find out about you?
MNH: First of all, I think when you’ve been in a community for more than 70 years like the United Way, people kind of assume that you’re still ultimately doing the same thing. Yes, we’re here to help people, but how we do that is very different from what it was 70 years ago. We used to be an organization that raised money and funded other organizations. That’s still a big part of what we do but now we are all these other things within our own programs and services and partnerships and collaborations. So our work is much more than what people assume. The other thing is, because we are part of something much larger, United Way Worldwide, people don’t always understand what that means, what the connection is, and we are still an independent, small nonprofit. We have the benefit to be part of the brand but how we serve our community is completely local. Those are some of the misconceptions.
NBL: How satisfied are you with the current version of the UWGNB and is there more work to be done?
MNH: Always work to be done. I am satisfied with our work, our direction. We’ve made some changes in the past few years that I think have only made us stronger, and we are continuing to always refine our work and be as responsive as we can as a provider, as a funder. We just finished our strategic plan that the board approved in May, and we are really excited about the next five years of our work and how we are looking to show up for the community and serve the community. We’re feeling inspired and excited and there’s certainly a lot of work to be done.
NBL: What is it about the United Way that has kept you in this position for 18 years? Why are you still here?
MNH: I think one of the things that has kept me here and passionate about the work is that the work is always changing. So there’s good and bad aspects to that, in the sense that I can come up with a plan or my day and my week and it quickly goes out the window because something more urgent needs my attention, or our attention as an organization. But I generally love the organization, what it stands for. I know that it is an important organization to this community that does so much good for so many people, and I know that a lot of organizations are also doing so much good for their own clientele, that they also look to us as partners, and as a supporter. So I see United Way as a hub in the community for a lot of things, and I’ve loved to be part of that and I have loved to work with some amazing people over the years who have been so generous with their time, generous with their money, and just so passionate about seeing the community only getting better. It’s easy to stay in a job when you are around that sort of passionate direction.
NBL: What are your ideas and visions for the future of the UWGNB? What would you like to see in the future?
MNH: Right now one of the things that we’re really doubling down on is recognizing that we do a lot of things, and I’m not saying that we’re going to stop, because there’s no stopping us, but I think how we communicate them might change. I think we need to get a little more simple. It’s kind of hard to do, because of the amount of different things that we do and the different hats that we wear in the community. Part of what we’re committing to in this strategic plan is really kind of around the refinement of how we are communicating, how we are engaging our community, how we are bringing them into the work. As a funder, we recognize that a grant check is fantastic but there are also other things that we think United Way can do to support the programs that we fund. And so, some of what we’re looking at for the future is really deepening our partnership with our grantees to think about other resources we can deploy to the programs that we support at these different organizations. We are fortunate that we have a base of donors that have traditionally come to us from their workplace. That was the only way that United Way used to raise its money, but that has changed too. We don’t only raise money through the corporate sector and their individual companies, we raise money through a lot of ways …
A lot of people know United Way through their community workplace contributions and we continue to do that, but we do so much more than that, that is just a little piece of it.
There are so many ways to engage with United Way. We like to be viewed as a resource for people that maybe ultimately don’t want to volunteer with us but chances are we can help them connect to a place that they can volunteer at. We would love to have more people understand that we can be a resource for anyone. It’s not only about supporting people in need or investing in programs that support people in need. We have a lot of programs and services that really anybody can benefit from regardless of their situation or background.
Sean McCarthy is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to The New Bedford Light.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
