Press Release
Dozens of families living in southeastern Utah will be outfitted for the season ahead, thanks to generous donations from the Price Walmart and Sutherlands Home Improvement Warehouse.
According to Pam Boyd, executive director of United Way of Eastern Utah (UWEU), the two retailers stepped up with big donations to kick off 2023. The Price Walmart donated eight pallets of new clothing and shoes, in children’s through adults’ sizes. Additionally, Sutherlands donated 276 pairs of new adult-size hiking shoes.
“We were dumbfounded by the generosity shown by these Price retailers,” Boyd said. “We are so grateful for their gifts and we had the honor of distributing them to some partner organizations in San Juan County earlier this month.”
The distribution was set into motion in January when the Price Walmart contacted the Southeastern Utah Association of Local Governments (SEUALG) to discuss donating unsold 2022 summer merchandise. SEUALG then contacted the United Way of Eastern Utah to see if the organization could team up for the project.
SEULAG workers moved the packed pallets to the UWEU’s 24-foot enclosed trailer and on Feb. 4, representatives from the local United Way chapter transported the load to Blanding. Once there, they met up with representatives from several other groups to begin the process of sorting and distributing the donations.
“The Four Corners region has limited retail options and is a food desert,” said Meghan McFall of Utah State University Blanding. “Many people don’t know that several of our homes don’t have running water and power. Generous donations like these mean a lot for families who can’t travel out of the area for these items.”
“Our favorite part of events like this is working with the kids to help them pick out their new clothes,” McFall continued. “The smile on their faces and tears in the mother’s eyes, seeing their kids so excited, is worth all the work projects like these require.”
“The United Way of Eastern Utah’s mission is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities,” Boyd said. “Through their generous actions, the Price Walmart and Sutherlands demonstrated their support of that effort.”
For more information about the United Way of Eastern Utah, email liveunited@uweu.org or call (435) 637-8911.