United Way of South Central Tennessee (UWSCTN) wrapped up another successful tax season with the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program, including extended tax preparation opportunities through the IRS because of Winter Storm Fern.

The United Way VITA program is an IRS-supported tax preparation service, through which trained volunteers prepare taxes at no cost for qualifying individuals and families. This year, more than 80 volunteers completed a total of 6,000 volunteer hours to prepare taxes at nine total sites across UWSCTN’s service area.

Rutherford Thrives, the TN-510 Continuum of Care, has completed its 2025 Housing Inventory Count (HIC) and Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. These annual efforts, conducted in alignment with HUD guidance, provide a snapshot of homelessness in our community on a single night in January.

SNAP Funding in Our Community: What You Need to Know

As many are aware, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will not be distributed on November 1st due to the government shutdown. SNAP, also known as food stamps, is a federal program that provides low-income families monthly benefits to afford healthy food. In Tennessee alone, nearly 700,000 residents receive SNAP benefits each month.

United Way of South Central Tennessee (UWSCTN) is excited to announce the promotion of Haley Vaughn to Director of ALICE Programs. Vaughn has been an integral member of the UWSCTN team since the spring of 2023.

The Governor’s Volunteer Stars Awards (GVSA) is an annual event that honors the efforts of volunteers from across Tennessee. Each year one adult and one youth are selected to receive this prestigious award in recognition of their exemplary volunteer service in the county. The guidelines and application for this award is listed below.