United Way Initiatives and Programs
Berks Early Care and Education Council
FamilyWize Discount Drug Program
Community Collaborations
Berks Money in Your Pocket Coalition
Special Funded Programs
Greater Berks Food Bank
RACC English as a Second Language Program
Reading Housing Authority Wellness Program
Berks County faces many challenges each day that impact the present and future quality of life for many of its residents. Did you know…………..
- Record numbers of Berks County residents (over 60,000) are receiving SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assiatance Program) benefits
- Between 2009 and 2011, there was a 33% increase in the number of Berks County residents who received SNAP benefits.
- Over 50% of the SNAP Recipients in Berks County are below the age of 20.
- 14% of Berks County families with children under the age of 18 were living below the poverty level.
- The City of Reading is ranked as one of the nation’s poorest cities, having the highest poverty rate in Pennsylvania and the sixth highest in the country. (among cities with a population above 65,000)
- Almost 17% of the Berks County adult population did not possess a high school diploma.
- The Reading School District estimates that 70% of children entering kindergarten lack one or more skills needed to be successful in school.
- The City of Reading has one of the highest rates of births to teen mothers in the state of Pennsylvania.