For the Journal

POCATELLO - Margaret Ganyo grew tired of only helping people on a case-by-case basis through her work as an attorney in Salt Lake City.

"Though you might make a big difference in one person's life, the very next day, after a huge effort, the next family walks in the door and you're starting all over again," Ganyo said. "It just seemed like a bad use of energy and time to not be making bigger-scale changes."

So when Ganyo moved to Pocatello in 2000, she decided it was a time to try something new.

Ganyo began working with Pocatello Neighborhood Housing, but her drive to do more led Ganyo to the United Way of Southeastern Idaho in 2004.

Since then, Ganyo has become the executive director of that branch of the United Way, which encompasses seven counties in the region and the Fort Hall Reservation.

"The United Way really holds a unique place in the nonprofit world. Most other nonprofits are direct service, but the United Way helps out by identifying the challenges and the opportunities in our community so that information can be used to strengthen our future," Ganyo said.

One program that Ganyo has worked with through the United Way is the Bannock County Emergency Food and Shelter Board, which recently received its first funding increase in the span of a decade.

The Bannock County EFSB's budget rose from $29,342 to $33,127 this year after Congress appropriated more funds to the nationwide Emergency Food and Shelter Board, chaired and administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Bannock County Board uses its funding to distribute food and rent money to families in crisis - often brought on by medical debt - so that the families can remain in their homes.

According to Ganyo, the funding distributed by the EFSB in Bannock County alone has helped support two emergency shelters including the Aid For Friends homeless shelter, which serves individuals and families, and the Family Services Alliance Shelter for victims of domestic abuse. The Salvation Army and St. Vincent DePaul have used the funding to help individuals at risk of being evicted pay their rent.

Organizations that wish to apply for EFSB funding to distribute can pick up the necessary paperwork in the United Way of Southeastern Idaho office at 275 S. Fifth Ave., Suite 243. For information on the requirements, contact Margaret Ganyo at 232-1389.