After just one week, the Sarnia-Lambton United Way campaign has already raised about $525,000.
The annual fundraising effort officially kicked off last week with the Day of Caring.
Executive Director Dave Brown said momentum for this year's campaign is off to a great start.
"Right now we're one week into it and already we've raised about 37 per cent of our $1.4 million goal," said Brown. "That's about $10,000 to $12,000 ahead of this time last year."
Brown said while the campaign target is set at $1.4 million, the actual need is closer to $1.6 million.
"So we're actually pushing for $1.6 million as much as we can," said Brown. "If we are able to surpass the $1.4 million level, and there's a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of energy that we're seeing locally, then we'll continue to keep raising money to bridge that gap."
The United Way of Sarnia-Lambton funds 17 local agencies providing over 31 programs and services, North Lambton Community Health Centre, Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity.