The virtual event showcases influential women in Washtenaw County and has named a woman of the year every year since 2009.

ANN ARBOR – United Way of Washtenaw County’s Power of the Purse benefit will be moving online this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tickets are now available for the March 10 event that will honor UWWC’s 2021 Woman of the Year, Food Gatherers’ CEO and President, Eileen Spring. Spring was chosen by the Power of the Purse committee for her accomplishments in food system security, innovation and community leadership. To date, the Power of the Purse event has allowed the UWWC Women’s Leadership Initiative to grant over $260,000 for women’s programs in Washtenaw County. Spring has been at the helm of Food Gatherers for 27 years and helped develop the organization’s Food Security Plan, which played an integral role when the coronavirus pandemic hit the area.