Founded in January 2023, Hope Above Fear is a young nonprofit with a powerful mission: to reduce substance use among youth through prevention, education, and empowerment. Led by Executive Director Stephanie Shepard, the organization began with a focus on fentanyl awareness and has quickly grown into a comprehensive, community-driven approach to substance abuse prevention.
The holidays are often called “the most wonderful time of the year,” but for many people, the experience is more complicated. This season can bring financial strain, complicated family expectations, heavier emotional weight, increased social demands, and the kind of exhaustion that settles in after a long year. Some people welcome the celebrations, while others simply try to navigate December as smoothly as possible.
Regardless of how you participate, holiday stress doesn’t discriminate. It affects people everywhere, across every income level and walk of life.
A Veteran’s Mission to Warm Hearts and Feet
By: Kristy Pate
United Way of West Florida
PENSACOLA, Fla., -- Retired Command Sergeant Major Raymond McKnight has been donating socks to those in need since 1978. He was 35 years old then and it was a passion he has continued since.
When crisis strikes, whether it’s a natural disaster, an economic shutdown, or sudden cuts to essential benefits, people instinctively want to help. We fill shopping carts with canned food, diapers, and toiletries, load up boxes, and drive them to drop-off sites, hoping to make a difference. But while physical donations come from the heart, they’re often not the most effective way to help.
As of September 30, 2025, a major change in the way Americans receive federal payments has officially taken effect. The IRS and the U.S. Treasury have stopped issuing paper checks for tax refunds and most other federal disbursements. This change comes from Executive Order 14247, titled “Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account,” signed earlier this year in March 2025.
Pensacola, FL (July 14, 2025) – United Way of West Florida is proud to host its annual Stuff the Bus school supply drive on Thursday, July 24, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., to help students in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties start the school year fully prepared.
