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Prince George, B.C. – ‘Tis the season for giving and it’s a message the City of Prince George has taken to heart and then some.

Today the city not only proclaimed Dec. 15-22 ‘United Way Week’ by holding a flag raising, but starting today all 750 city employees have committed to giving back to the community running all the way through to Dec. 1, 2017.

“It’s unprecedented, it’s just wonderful that they’re wanting to do that much,” says Roberta Squire, the United Way’s campaign and engagement officer for North Central B.C.

“They’re going to be doing raffles, they’re going to be joining us with the (Prince George) Cougars, there’s going to be a lot of engagement in the community.”

She says there are over 93,000 people that the United Way indirectly or directly funded in 2015.

“Locally we fund 23 organizations and charities like the Hospice House, Big Brothers Big Sisters, even the SPCA. Regionally there are 308 programs our program generously funds.”

Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall says it’s a cause the city was happy to support.

“The United Way helps fund a large number of organizations through the entire city. Not just the city but the entire part of the province really,” he says.

“So, it’s so important for groups to get on board and that’s what we’ve done here today at the city. We want our employees to participate in any way they can.”

Statistics show the need is great for the programs the United Way funds. For instance, the non-profit estimates that 1 in 5 children in the Cariboo and northern B.C. live in poverty and that 10 per cent of people suffer from mental health issues.

To learn how you can help click here.