United Way Day of Caring 2026
On June 17, 2026, colleagues from Merchants’ corporate office participated in United Way of Buffalo and Erie County’s annual Day of Caring! With over 100 projects and 2,000 volunteers, Day of Caring is United Way of Buffalo and Erie County’s largest single-day volunteering event, encouraging companies from all over the Western New York region to give back to their community.
Hope and Joy Food Pantry
This year, Merchants volunteers spent the afternoon at Hope and Joy Food Pantry, where they helped in the community garden!
Founded in 2020, Hope and Joy Food Pantry provides food, toiletries, and cleaning supplies to families in need, servicing nearly 100 families each week.
Merchants volunteers at this site included:
Peter Lyons
Katherine Mayer
Lauren Kudela
Derek Guarino
Nin Le
Thomas Fiegel
Erica Kellogg
To learn more about Hope and Joy Food Pantry, visit https://www.hopeandjoyfoodpantry.org/.
Locust Street Art
At Locust Street Art, Merchants volunteers contributed by building a shed!
Locust Street Art is a community arts center that provides studio arts classes, workshops, and custom services.
Merchants volunteers at this site included:
Nina Marranca
Tiffany Hill
Marie Potzler
Laurie Maniccia
Sydney Schneider
To learn more about Locust Street Art, visit https://www.locuststreetart.org/.
Support for United Way
“United Way seeks to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good.” (United Way Mission Statement)
At Merchants Insurance Group, we proudly support United Way, not only as participants in Day of Caring, but through our annual fundraising campaign. Each of Merchants’ offices – the corporate headquarters in Buffalo, NY, and regional offices in Bedford, NH; Mount Laurel, NJ; and Melville, NY – has a nearby United Way chapter, meaning that funds raised by our colleagues have a direct impact on initiatives in their communities.
Read our 2025 United Way Campaign recap to learn more: https://www.merchantsgroup.com/news/a-look-back-on-merchants-2025-united-way-campaign/
