SALISBURY — With Hurricanes Florence and Michael causing repercussions across the Southeast, the Rowan County United Way has decided to allow more time for companies to conduct their fall campaigns.

The countywide campaign will continue until the grand finale is held at noon Nov. 28 at the United Way office, officials announced Friday.

“Rowan County United Way’s highest priority is serving the needs of all our citizens,” said John Struzick, campaign chair. “To that end, we believe this step is necessary to give all our organizations the opportunity to run their campaigns effectively and without the stress of having to meet timelines established before Florence and Michael.”

The agency’s staff has also been helping with hurricane relief effort, Struzick said.

“Additionally, our United Way staff has rightfully diverted focus from the campaign to serving the immediate needs of our community arising out of these hurricanes. As we push forward, we believe the generosity of our Rowan community will be stronger than ever and we can expect outstanding results for this year’s campaign,” he said.

The Rowan County United Way kicked off its annual campaign on Sept. 14. At the last report meeting, the campaign had raised $642,439.53 in pledges — over 40 percent of its $1.6 million goal.

Another report meeting to share updates will be held at Team Chevrolet at noon Wednesday, Oct. 24.

Some 17,000 homes and businesses in Rowan County lost power after Tropical Storm Michael alone. Both storms left large parts of the community dealing with outages and flooding. As a result, companies delayed their United Way campaigns and in many cases sent their resources to the front lines in eastern North Carolina or beyond.

Since the start of the campaign, speakers from member and partner agencies have been working hard to share their stories of how United Way has impacted their lives, United Way officials said.

Extending the campaign will ensure the campaign’s positive momentum will continue and enable companies to run their campaigns effectively, while giving more time to those that have been displaced, they said. The decision was made out of consideration for family time during the upcoming holidays as well.

The 16 organizations benefiting from the campaign are: Boy Scouts of Central NC Council, Communities in Schools of Rowan County, Smart Start Rowan, Rowan County YMCA, American Red Cross, Rowan County Rescue Squad, The Salvation Army, Rowan Vocational Opportunities, The Arc of Rowan, Rufty-Holmes Senior Center, Trinity Living Center, Families First NC, Inc., Family Crisis Council, Rowan County Literacy Council, Jobs for Life and Capstone Recovery Center.

For more information on the campaign, visit www.rowanunitedway.org and follow the United Way on Facebook.