Concordia Bank & Trust increased its participation 63 percent. Entergy convinced all of its Natchez employees to take part. Supermarket Operations increased its total contribution to more than $18,000. These companies, along with The Natchez Democrat and the Natchez-Adams School District, have set the pace for the annual United Way of the Greater Miss-Lou fund drive.

United Way helps fund 25 non-profit agencies in the Miss-Lou, including Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, the Natchez Senior Citizen Multi-Purpose Center, the Natchez Children’s Home and the Salvation Army.

This is the first year in several years that United Way of the Miss-Lou has designated &uot;pacesetter&uot; companies to kick of its campaign. The pace right now is 20 percent of United Way’s $320,000 goal.

&uot;We always encourage some of the bigger companies to step up so we have big numbers at the beginning,&uot; said United Way Director Monica Lynch. &uot;We have five companies and we’re up to 20 percent of the goal — that’s great.&uot;

To show off the goal percentage, United Way has put up three &uot;thermometers&uot; — with materials donated by Home Hardware — around the Miss-Lou.

They are located outside the Coca-Cola company on D-Evereux Drive, outside Kmart on John R. Junkin Drive and outside the old courthouse in Vidalia.

Lynch said she hopes the thermometers will help the community take ownership in the fund-raising campaign.

Now that the pace is set, at least 25 other companies will kick off their fund-raising campaigns.

Del Loy of Supermarket Operations, who has led that company’s fund-raising drive for several years, has some advice for drumming up employee participation. Company-wide, the local supermarket chain had 88 percent employee participation. And Piggly Wiggly had 100 percent participation.

&uot;We had a drawing for $50 of free groceries for our employees who were fair share givers,&uot; Loy said.

Fair share givers pledge to give one hour of pay per month to United Way. The amount can be automatically deducted from their paychecks.

But Loy said he hopes employees will also realize that their donations not only benefit the community, but themselves as well.

&uot;The major benefit is to the community and the satisfaction of seeing the organizations that benefit,&uot; Loy said. &uot;But there is also the benefit of just feeling good about contributing.&uot;