Mower County residents are about to embark on another giving spree, or so United Way of Mower County volunteers hope.

The UWMC’s annual campaign kickoff takes place at noon Thursday at the Hormel Historic Home. Though UWMC workers are keeping mum on what this year’s goal will be, there are plenty of hopes riding on the continuing wave of local generosity.

“The last five years have been phenomenal,” said Mandi Lighthizer-Schmidt, UWMC executive director.

The United Way exceeded their goal of $965,000 last year, raising about $1.03 million in donations. It was the first time UWMC raised more than $1 million in funds.

Donations from local businesses were up across the board, as Hormel Corporate Office, the Hormel Plant, Quality Pork Products, and Austin Medical Center all increased donations, once again making up the bulk of UWMC’s campaign.

The Hormel Corporate Office raised about $230,000, while the Hormel Plant raised $134,000. QPP’s donation of about $151,000 rounded out Hormel’s contribution, while AMC’s $47,000 beat out their $40,000 from last year.

UWMC workers hoped they’d beat last year’s total donations of $972,000, but were very surprised to see they had raised more than $1 million.

“Our mission is really to make a positive impact in our community,” Lighthizer-Schmidt said.

As a result, United Way workers are able to fund more programs this year, including a new domestic abuse intervention program for men, a childcare assistance scholarship, the Community Explorations Camp for special needs middle and high school students and the Red Cross Personal Care Shelf, which serves about 600 people a year according to Red Cross Executive Director Elaine Hansen.