The United Way of Central Missouri does not plan to cut services for seniors like its Columbia-based counterpart, local officials say.
The Heart of Missouri United Way, which covers Boone, Cooper and Howard counties, plans to reduce funding for senior services agencies in 2013.
Timothy Rich and the volunteer board of directors at the Heart of Missouri United Way say the focus of the group will turn to impoverished youth with the idea that by preventing poverty in youth, they will not be impoverished as adults and seniors.
"The Heart of Missouri United Way Board of Directors unanimously voted to adopt and implement a new strategy, called Community Impact, which beginning in 2013 will focus its work on supporting strategies that help at-risk Mid-Missouri youth to succeed in school and life," their website reads.
The change will focus on immediate needs, such as hunger, while seeking long-term solutions to poverty and issues facing at-risk children.