United Way donor to speed shop for charity at Charley Family Shop ’n Save

Who: Susie Bowell, who donates to United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, belongs to Women United, and is vice president, community banking manager, S&T Bank; Jesse Sprajcar, senior director of regional impact, United Way; Tom and Mike Charley, owners, Charley Family Shop ’n Save; Mandy Welty Zalich, chief executive officer, Westmoreland Community Action. 

What: On March 17, United Way will host its annual Shopping Spree at the Charley Family Shop ’n Save store in Murrysville. This year’s donor shopper, Susie Bowell, of Trafford, will race through the Charley Family Shop ’n Save, collecting as many nonperishable goods as she can in three minutes. All items are donated to the shopper’s nonprofit of choice. Susie will be shopping for Westmoreland Community Action to support its food security initiatives 

Where: Charley Family Shop ’n Save, 4536 William Penn Hwy, Murrysville, PA 15668. 

When: Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 9:30 a.m. 

Why: The annual Shopping Spree recognizes a United Way donor from Westmoreland County. Susie will run through the aisles of the Shop ’n Save with a grocery cart, gathering as much food as possible for Westmoreland Community Action. This high-energy event yields between $600 and $1,000 in food and goods for the nonprofit while highlighting United Way’s focus on food security and meeting basic needs. 

In October 2025 during the federal government shutdown — when SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, was under threat of being paused — food-related contacts to United Way’s PA 211 Southwest contact center surged 184% over October 2024 contacts. In Westmoreland, 39% of households don’t earn enough to meet all their basic needs, despite working, sometime two of more jobs. United Way invested $787,000 in 28 Westmoreland County partner agencies in 2024-25, including Westmoreland Community Action, Westmoreland Food Bank and Knead Community Café.