The 2010 Upshur County Community Fund drive begins Monday, March 1 and continues through March 31. The goal this year is to raise $25,000, which will be used to help fund worthy causes in the county.

The organizations and programs to receive allocations this year include:

• Summer Youth Program, $3,000. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board the Gilmer Area Chamber of Commerce provide a 6-week summer recreation program for children ages 6 through 12. It provides games, stories, crafts and movies, along with exceptional adult supervision.

• Women’s Center of East Texas, $2,000. This organization provides a safe haven for victims of domestic and sexual violence in Upshur, Gregg, Marion and Harrison counties.

• American Red Cross, $2,000. Funds are utilized to provide Red Cross services, including communication and relief between the American people and their armed services. They also carry on a system of national and international relief to prevent and mitigate suffering caused by disaster.

• ETCADA, $2,500. This agency addresses alcoholism and drug abuse as a public health issue, and as treatable and preventable diseases.

• Upshur County Shares Food Bank, $2,000. This program is a ministry of the Gilmer Area Ministerial Alliance that provides food for those in need.

• Upshur County Literacy Council, $1,750. This program offers literacy, basic life skills and GED preparation and pre-GED testing. Call 903-843-3360 for more information.

• Parents Anonymous, $1,500.This program provides skills to parents and caretakers that allow them to change their own behavior toward their children, which in turn leads to more positive changes in their childrens’ behavior.

• Upshur County Aid Bank, $5,200. This organization provides assistance of food, utilities, rent/mortgage, medical, clothing, etc. for needy Upshur County people. It is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization controlled and operated by a board of directors comprised of Upshur County residents.

• Real Jobs for Youth, $1,000. Real Jobs for Youth promotes inclusive employment opportunities for teenagers and young adults ages 12 to 29 with disabilities,

• Upshur County Benevolent Fund, $450. This fund is used for emergency relief for Upshur County people in distress. Applications are taken through the Upshur County Aid Bank, and are distributed through a committee appointed by the Community Fund board.

• Meals on Wheels, $1,300. Meals on Wheels Ministry Inc. This agency prepares and delivers nutritious meals to homebound and disabled senior citizens, as well as providing meals for senior citizen centers. They also provide daily contact for their clients and notify the client’s family if the person fails to answer the door. This ministry serves 10 counties in East Texas, including Upshur. This is one of the largest meal service organizations in the nation, serving more than 4,000 meals a day.

• Kinsman Foundation, $1,500. The Kinsman Foundation is a nonprofit entity established in 2007 to assist with end-of-life needs of indigent patients served by Kinsman Hospice Care, Inc., located in Gilmer. No patient is ever turned away from Kinsman Hospice Care Inc. because of inability to pay.

• Friends of the Library, $300. The Friends of the Upshur County Library are a group of volunteers who support the library by developing and funding services to benefit not only the lbirary but the community as well. They fund the Children’s Story Time, the Children’s Summer Reading Program, provide patrons with free computer access, subscriptions for tutor.com and new materials for the genealogy department, as well as other media.

The fund has also allocated $500 for printing, stamps, etc.