The Herald-News’ annual holiday Herald Angels campaign broke previous donation records – again.

Donations for the 2024 holiday season totaled $20,017, marking the first time donations exceeded $20,000 since the program began in 1997, said Steve Vanisko, publisher of The Herald-News in Joliet.

In 2025, donations from 143 people totaled $20,330, Vanisko said.

All donations benefit United Way of Will County.

“The Herald Angels campaign has been in existence for nearly 30 years, and we are proud that we set another record in 2025,” Vanisko said. “We continue to be amazed by the generosity of our subscribers and are most appreciative of their support of the United Way of Will County.”

In 2020, Oprzedek said the need in Will County was unprecedented, with some organizations experiencing a 300% increase in requests from the community for assistance.

Herald Angels then received an “unprecedented response” from the community, with donations totaling $14,655, more than double the total from 2019, Vanisko previously said.

The World Health Organization declared the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2023, but need in Will County has only risen.

“We have a community that is working hard – and many are working multiple jobs – to make ends meet. But it’s still not enough,“ Sarah Oprzedek, president and CEO of United Way of Will County, said in November.

According to the 2025 State of ALICE in Illinois report, 33% of Will County residents are below the ALICE threshold.

ALICE is an acronym for asset limited, income constrained and employed. Basic living expenses include child care, food, health care, housing, transportation and technology, according to United for ALICE.

This figure includes the poverty rate, which is still 8% in Will County, plus the percentage of ALICE households, which is 25%, according to the report.

ALICE families often work multiple jobs just to reach “that break-even point,” Oprzedek previously said.

Local nonprofits are struggling to meet the high need for Will County residents’ basic necessities, and United Way of Will County is struggling to help the nonprofits, Oprzedek previously said.

“Our funding partners – the ones coming to us seeking funding – their requests each and every year significantly outpace the resources available to fulfill those needs,” Oprzedek said.

For more information or to donate to United Way of Will County, call 815-723-2500 or visit uwwill.org.