From Commissioner Mary McCarty's Office...

The United Way of Palm Beach County has been and remains an integral community agency that provides a wide array of support and services to needy families and individuals. One program in particular is the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program which for the past six years has been providing free tax preparation services to local individuals and households that earn less than $42,000 annually. Last year, more than 11,400 residents used the VITA program. Currently, there are 20 VITA sites located throughout Palm Beach County from Boca Raton to Jupiter, and west to Belle Glade and Pahokee and are scheduled to be open during the tax season starting January 20 through April 15, 2009.

VITA sites are staffed by volunteers who have been trained and certified by the IRS to prepare taxes. Due to the recent economic challenges in our community, the United Way is anticipating a substantial increase in the program’s participants. Consequently, there is a greater demand for the upcoming tax season for volunteers to work at these VITA sites, so please consider volunteering if you have an interest. VITA volunteers include a variety of individuals such as retirees, housewives, college students and professionals. There is also a need for volunteers who are bilingual in Spanish or Creole and teenage volunteers who are 16 or older may serve as greeters and earn community services hours.

For additional information on the program and volunteer opportunities, please contact Donna Pulda at the United Way of Palm County at 561-375-6621, or visit United Way of Palm Beach County’s Web site at www.unitedwaypbc.org.