Union members are working to keep area residents warm this winter with Brown County United Way and the Greater Green Bay Labor Council Community Services Committee. The two groups are hosting the second annual Blanketing Brown County drive, collecting new and gently used blankets for distribution to area shelters and agencies. Blanketing Brown County begins today and continues through Jan. 29.

Pennsylvania union members were busy this holiday as they continued a 40-year tradition of filling stockings with sweet treats for children with special needs. 

Check out the AFL-CIO's new In Our Communities website feature, "Union Members Fashion Super-Sized Salvation Army Kettle for the Holidays."

Around the holidays, grocery store shoppers expect to see a cheerful person in a Santa hat and red apron, ringing a bell and collecting donations in the iconic Salvation Army red kettle.

Many purveyors of financial advice are trying to sell you something, whether it's insurance, a retirement plan or even a mortgage. But bias-free financial advice isn't impossible to find. The National Labor College has a great online resource, NLC Invested, which provides some helpful financial tips on major life developments such as saving for a home purchase, preparing for a new child, sending a child to college, retirement, debt reduction, foreclosure and more. 

Ron Oliver, AFL-CIO Community Services liaison in Erie, Pa., tells us last night the local labor movement there worked with community allies to create a safe, fun Halloween party for inner-city children. Some 50 to 60 little goblins and superheroes gathered at a local church and had a great time munching chips and cupcakes. Mmmmmmmmm.

The Painters and Allied Trades for Children's Hope Foundation (PATCH) has announced a new partnership with United Cerebral Palsy's My Child Without Limits. 

For every new "like" on the PATCH Facebook page (www.facebook.com/PATCHFoundation) or new follower on Twitter (www.twitter.com/PATCHFoundation), PATCH will donate $1 to UCP's My Child Without Limits. 

To learn more about PATCH, please visit www.iupat.org/patch.

Larry Snook, vice president of Labor Services at Metro United Way in Louisville, Ky., has an ambitious goal, along with the skilled tradesmen from UAWLocal 862: building 25-30 mobility ramps for people's homes in the next two years.

Volunteers from Local 862 and Metro United Way are volunteering their time to help the Center for Accessible Living coordinate and build mobility ramps for people with disabilities' homes in flood zone areas through a Ford Motor Co. initiative in Louisville. Ford is providing funds for the ramp materials and recruiting employee volunteers from UAW. So far, three ramps have been built. 

Check out the AFL-CIO's new In Our Communities website feature, "Firefighters Give Back to Their Communities On and Off the Job." 

It’s hard to miss a burly firefighter in a bright pink T-shirt. And for tens of thousands of Fire Fighters (IAFF) union members across the country, that’s exactly the point. When the public sees them in pink tees, they are reminded that breast cancer is a deadly disease requiring regular exams and mammograms. And they are urged to help women who can’t afford regular check-ups.

Toledo union members pitched in during United Way's Week of Caring to help build a home for a local family. Volunteers, including members of UAW Local 14 and AFSCME Local 544, along with AFL-CIO Labor Community Services liaisons Micheal Alexander and Laura Harrison, joined Habitat for Humanity on the project.

Volunteers, organized through United Way of Greater Toledo, helped install siding on the house. The entire project will take several months to complete. 

See more photos from the United Way of Greater Toledo's Week of Caring 2012.  

Munger Elementary School in Detroit will have a new garden, thanks to Ford employees and members of UAWLocal 600. As part of this year's Ford Global Week of Caring, UAW Local 600 will help build raised garden beds for Bridging Communities to support students at the school.