09/15/2026
A massive thank you to our incredible community leaders, partners, and supporters who filled this morning’s United Way of CNY State of Caring event with so much passion and dedication to driving change.
📸 Photos are incoming! We’re editing the full gallery right now -- stay tuned throughout the week as we share more highlights, key moments, and familiar faces from this morning’s event.
📈 A few key takeaways from Drive Research’s 2026 State of Caring Report:
- Central New Yorkers remain deeply committed to a variety of critical impact areas. Hunger and food banks lead as the primary focus, with more than two in five residents (42%) prioritizing the issue, followed by children and youth initiatives (33%). Other prominent concerns include homelessness and housing (30%), animal welfare (24%), and mental health (24%).
🍽️ These top five priorities remain consistent with last year’s findings, however, those selecting hunger and food banks increased by 10% (up from 32%).
- Central New Yorkers consistently demonstrate higher levels of nonprofit support and engagement than the rest of the country. In the past 12 months, over half of regional residents (52%) have donated to a nonprofit, significantly outpacing the national figure of 33%.
- Beyond financial contributions, local participation in nonprofit volunteering and advocacy exceeds the rest of the U.S. by 6% and 8%, respectively.
- Donation habits for Central New Yorkers have dipped like last year, with 37% saying they donated less over the past few years.
Request a digital copy of the full report from Drive Research at https://www.driveresearch.com/state-of-caring-report-cny/
🏆 This morning, we also celebrated our 2026 Achievements in Caring Award Winners:
• Impact Maker: Sidney Federal Credit Union
• Community Champion: CXtec
• Catalyst for Change: Kristin Mannion
• Torchbearer: Mike Durkin
• Uniquely United: Raising the Green – Bill Patrick & Andrew Derrenbacker, CFA, CFP®
• Local Legend: TTM Technologies, Inc.
Thank you to our Title Sponsor, IBEW Local 43; Presenting Sponsors, Equitable & Upstate Medical University; Networking Sponsor, Visions Federal Credit Union; and support from The Lab Creative & Drive Research.
What was your favorite takeaway or moment from breakfast today? Drop it in the comments below! 👇