United Way of Cayuga County Surpasses 3,000 Hygiene Item Goal
Extended Drive to Support Funded Member Agencies
Auburn, New York, November 11, 2025 – The United Way of Cayuga County extended their 8th Annual Countywide Personal Care Drive to meet their goal—thanks to several generous community members and businesses, the United Way has collected 3,229 items.
Last month, CAP Cayuga/Seneca distributed the initial 2,400 items the United Way collected to 19 food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters. The personal care items collected during the more than two-week extended drive are being distributed to four of the United Way of Cayuga County’s Member Agencies whose funded programs distribute hygiene items.
- Auburn Rescue Mission
Program: Personal Care Items
- Harriet Tubman Liberation Foundation
Program: Safe & Warm
- SS Peter & John Episcopal Soup Kitchen
Program: Soup Kitchen
- The Salvation Army
Program: Food Pantry
This is the first year Safe & Warm has been a recipient of items from the United Way’s annual drive and program coordinator, Ashely Teucke states “We really are grateful for this and hope that we can count on it every year.”
Safe & Warm is a new initiative to Cayuga County that hosts a meal distribution at their drop-in center at Westminster Presbyterian Church every Friday from 3:00pm – 5:00pm for neighbors in need. Teucke, shared “We’re seeing new faces at the drop-in center and we’re expecting more people.” With so many community members struggling right now, more are turning to programs like Safe & Warm and food pantries for basic hygiene items like shampoo and conditioner. The center provides a space for community members to get a meal, connect with program staff, charge their devices, enjoy a hot beverage thanks to a recent Keurig machine donation, and pick-up much needed hygiene items.
The 9th Annual Countywide Personal Care Drive will launch on Thursday, August 6, 2026 in conjunction with the Day of Caring event. If you are interested in getting involved and volunteering your time to serve on a planning committee, reach out to Campaign & Marketing Manager, Julisa J Stone-Szpaicher at jstone@unitedwayofcayugacounty.org.
The Countywide Personal Care Drive and Day of Caring are made possible thanks to the incredible support of our community as well as our event sponsors: Cayuga Lake National Bank, Wegmans Food Markets, Nucor Steel Auburn, Classic Hits 99.3, Savannah Bank, Beardsley Architects & Engineers, Pinnacle Investments, MEDENT, Auburn Community Hospital, Bouley Associates, Auburn Crane & Rigging, Lyons National Bank, Tompkins Community Bank, Sophie Cat, East Hill Medical Center, and CJC Paralegal. And a special thank you to Cases Unlimited who donated the drop off boxes for the 8th year in a row! Lastly, thank you to Kevin Rivoli of The Citizen for capturing some great photos for our volunteers on October 15 as they sorted, counted, and prepared boxes for distribution at CAP’s warehouse—check out his gallery!
Press Release written by Julisa J. Stone-Szpaicher, Campaign & Marketing Manager and submitted to news outlets on Tuesday, November 11, 2025