Portage Plains United Way is a bit closer to reaching its annual fundraising goal, thanks to a contribution from Portage Co-op.

Co-op presented PPUW with a $5,000 donation earlier today at the Portage store on Saskatchewan Ave. PPUW exectuve director Mandy Dubois says it's a significant contribution for the organization, as it doesn't often receive donations that large.

"It just shows how much Portage Co-op supports our community and supports the initiatives that United Way supports," Dubois says. "Without this support, it would be pretty hard to reach our goal."

PPUW is about 25 per cent of the way towards its annual fundraising target of $247,500, Dubois says.

"Donations have been really slow coming in this year," the PPUW executive director says. "Who knows, it's always a timing issue and we could get a big surge right away. But this will really give our campaign a push."

Portage Co-op human resources and member relations rep Tammy Hammersley says they support United Way every year. "We give to United Way because we feel that it's a very good organization that gives to a lot of other organizations in the community," she says.