DTE Energy wrapped its United Way campaign at the end of the year, and through everyone’s teamwork, fundraisers and some friendly competition – employees made a huge impact.
Across the company, teams hosted cookoffs and raffles, volunteered, attended events and competed against each other to raise the most money, all to benefit United Way.
One of the more hands-on ways the DTE family supported United Way during the campaign was through hygiene kit builds. These kits include vital supplies like brushes, soap and toothpaste as well as things like hats and socks to help keep recipients clean and comfortable when they need support the most.
“We’ve done this in the past for the United Way campaign,” said Anna Jackson, the organizer of one of these events in support of Ypsilanti-based SOS Community Services, a United Way partner organization. “We were looking for a way to continue to expand our support for Washtenaw County and this was a great opportunity to do that.”

DTE volunteers build hygiene kits for SOS Community Services, a United Way partner organization, during DTE’s United Way campaign.
The kit build wasn’t only valuable for SOS, it was meaningful for the team, too.
“It’s nice to see our team engage and be able to do something to help,” Jackson said. “We’re out in the community every day, responding to leaks and doing our meter work, and we see folks that are in need. Being able to do something concrete like this, where we’re able to provide some support for the people that are our customers, is really rewarding and I always enjoy when we’re able to get the entire station engaged.”
It was especially meaningful that the help went to a United Way partner organization because of the role the organization plays in the team’s work every day.
“United Way is someone we rely on when we’re out in the field,” she said. “When we’re out doing our work and come across a situation where someone is struggling to get by, there’s not always something we can do ourselves in that moment to help that person. But what we can do is connect them with United Way. Having that resource to be able to give somebody a hand, that goes a really long way with folks who are in and out of customer homes every day.”
DTE teams gave back throughout the campaign, including an event that brought together more than 160 employees to visit six community organizations in one day to stock shelves at food pantries, sort donations at shelters and serve meals to those in need.
“I’m proud to have the opportunity to give back through United Way and their partner organizations as we kick off our annual fundraising campaign at DTE,” said Shawn Patterson, volunteer, vice president of Environmental Management and Safety and executive champion for United Way at DTE. “The support United Way offers our communities is priceless. More than one in three households in our region struggle to afford basic needs like food, housing and childcare. Supporting United Way through volunteer efforts like this and DTE’s annual campaign can help change that.”
Through efforts across the enterprise, DTE collectively raised $2.1 million with the DTE Foundation’s match. These funds will support United Way programs like 2-1-1, which receives hundreds of thousands of calls every year for help with basic needs like food, housing and utility payments.
“None of what we do is possible without people who step up to make a difference,” said Allison Bunch, corporate relations director for United Way for Southeastern Michigan. “Campaigns like DTE’s fund vital programs and the volunteerism efforts have a real impact in our communities. We’re so grateful to DTE and the people and organizations who get involved with their teams and support these programs.”