The United Way of Mid & South Jefferson County will kick off its annual fund-raising campaign season this week with a luncheon at the Carl A. Parker Multipurpose Center at Lamar State College Port Arthur.

“The need is greater,” said Janie Johnson, United Way CEO. “Some agencies are still working their way back to full capacity. Some haven’t missed a beat.”

But many people in Mid County and Greater Port Arthur are struggling to get back into their homes, she said, following the devastation of Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey, which destroyed or damaged some 80 percent of the area’s housing. Many residents did not have flood insurance because their homes were not in flood zones.

Johnson said such donors may struggle. She said she received an email from a reliable donor who said his home is “less than 70 percent fixed,” and because of insurance issues, he’s fixing it out of pocket. He must send a smaller donation this year, he told her.

“That’s not an uncommon reality right now,” Johnson said.

Here’s a cruel reality, too: Despite individual hardships felt by donors, the needs have increased in Jefferson County. For example, she said, the women’s shelter needs more support because the “family violence rate has gone up” — not uncommon during times of economic stress.

United Way’s 2017-18 campaign kickoff was canceled because of Harvey; the campaign raised about $1,535,000 million, surpassing its $1.3 million goal. Two-thirds of that was raised by Valero.

“It wasn’t our biggest year, but it was a whole lot better than we thought in the wake of Harvey,” Johnson said. She did not reveal a target goal for the 2018-19 year.

She said a couple of companies, Valero and Dow Aniline, have launched early campaigns. So did Target, which generally raises funds during the summer.

She said United Way would add a new agency this year, Southeast Texas Food Bank, to the 21 agencies funded last year. In addition to the food bank, Southeast Texas Food Bank also operates a backpack program to send needy children home with food for the weekend on Fridays.

United Way will also benefit by two fund-raisers next month: Mistletoe Market, Oct. 4-6; and the Live United 5k roadrace, Oct. 13.

The luncheon starts at 11:45 a.m. Friday and will last about an hour. It includes lunch, recognition of agencies, a review of last year, and a video message from the board chairman.

“At that point, we are kicked off officially,” she said.

The luncheon is open to those who RSVP to invitations, but Johnson said it is open to the public. She said the luncheon usually draws 50 to 150 people. Information: 409-729-4040.

The menu includes boudin stuffed chicken and fried catfish.

“We want to get everyone ready and motivated take that energy back to their companies and get company campaigns going,” she said.