How far can you stretch a dollar these days? With the United Way of the Greater Miss-Lou Inc., you can stretch it far — to hundreds of neighbors through more than 25 area service organizations that benefit from United Way funding.

Many of those agencies will be on hand from 5 to 7 p.m. today at the Natchez Senior Citizens Multipurpose Center for the annual agency fair. This fair kicks off the annual fund-raising drive, and more important it gives each of us a chance to meet face-to-face with the people who help direct our United Way gifts to the people who need it most.

Agency representatives will be on hand at the center, 800 Washington St., to talk about their programs — from Boy Scouts to the Red Cross, from the Sunshine Shelter to the Court Appointed Special Advocates program — and to help communicate the real and pressing needs throughout the Miss-Lou.

We encourage you to attend; to listen; and to learn.

More important, we encourage you to take part in this annual United Way campaign. Your gift — whether it’s a fair-share pledge of one hour’s pay per month or a more generous leadership gift — will be used by these agencies to make life a little better for our neighbors … and our communities.

Eighty-five cents of every dollar goes directly to the 25 agencies served by the United Way, and with a goal of $320,000 for the annual drive that adds up to a sizeable impact on the service organizations’ efforts — from hot meals delivered to shut-ins to free clothing provided to disaster victims.

These are real needs; real people; and, thanks to the United Way, real dollars making a real difference.

As the campaign leaders say, &uot;United We Stand for a Greater Miss-Lou.&uot;

Join us in that stand at the agency fair, 5 to 7 p.m. today.