The United Way of Prince Edward County recently gave out its second round of checks to its 22 partners.

The allocation of nearly $10,850 during the luncheon at The Woodland Inc. means the United Way poured back into the community through donations to its partners $56,000 of the approximately $61,000 it raised in the fiscal year, noted Rucker Snead, president of the local United Way Board of Directors.

The feat was the result of the United Way surpassing its fundraising $60,000 goal.

“Think back where we were 10 years ago when … if we raised $30,000 we were doing well,” Snead said.

The luncheon is used as an opportunity for the partners to network and begin coordinating efforts to reduce conflicts and overlapping in fundraising efforts as they compete for scarce donation dollars, Snead said.

As the United Way starts looking to the next fiscal year there have already been funding-assistance request for a total of $60,500, and all of the partners have not submitted applications, Snead said.

The United Way’s signature fundraiser — the Great Farmville Duck Derby — was held Friday, May 3. The event raised a little more than $6,000 and put the group over its fundraising goal for the year. The derby was held in conjunction with the Heart of Virginia Festival and Live at Riverside presented by the Farmville Jaycees.

Planning is already underway for next year’s derby.

Nearly 94 percent of the money the group raises goes to its nonprofit partners, and the United Way has helped with everything from paying for some school students to take swimming lessons at the YMCA, to helping send 4H members to a show, Snead said.

In January, the United Way awarded $45,000 to its partners — the most the group has been able to give out at one time in years.

“Ultimately, the checks will be smaller going out in June because we frontloaded the partners,” Snead warned at the time.