SUNBURY -- Executives at Valley nonprofit organizations say their elimination from the 2008 Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way roster will adversely affect their agencies.

The local United Way's lineup of 30 agencies for 2008 is five fewer than it was in 2007. Some organizations were cut because they are part of larger, well-funded organizations, said Keri Albright, president and chief executive officer of the local United Way.

Among those agencies left out were Geisinger Health System's Children's Advocacy Center, of Northumberland, which provides services to children who must undergo police interviews for sexual assault investigations; the Salvation Army; Evangelical Home Health Services; ACTION Health, Danville; Avenues, Pottsville, which promotes the general welfare of persons with developmental or physical handicaps; and Habitat for Humanity of Snyder and Union counties.

United Way provided $49,000 to those agencies and to two others in 2007, Ms. Albright said.

"There's no vehicle, so to speak, to bill for the bulk of the services we provide," said Melissa Hummel, coordinator of the Children's Advocacy Center, which received $14,000 in 2007. "It's not like we have another way to recoup that money, so we rely heavily on the community and donations.

"If there's one message that we hope can remain out there, it's that we do need community support. We do need people coming forward to say this is a community problem and we're going to do what we can, whether it's $2 or $2,000 -- every little bit counts."

When the Children's Advocacy Center was getting started, the United Way bridged its gap in funding, Ms. Albright said.

"And now that they are in a position of a really well-run organization with great support," she said. "They are where they need to be. Our exclusion of the CAC is in no way a reflection of the strength of its services."

Maj. Sharon Cupp of the Sunbury chapter of the Salvation Army said the loss of funding from the United Way -- about $10,000 -- will level a blow to the organization's food bank.

"The United Way has funded the Army greatly in the past," she said. "In the last few years ... the funding hasn't been up to what it should be, but that little bit helped and it will hurt a lot. But I'm already looking at alternative means to try and fund.

"I'll do the innovative things I have to do and the community is just going to have to be understanding when I say there's no funding, there truly is no funding."

Sandy Nelson, director of Evangelical Home Health Services, said the organization will lose $8,500 in United Way funding, money that was used to bridge the gap between insurance reimbursements and the actual cost of providing care.

"We have a large elderly population ... but (there are) mothers and new babies served as well," said Ms. Nelson, who added that she was surprised her agency was declined. "It's going to hurt with that."

ACTION Health's loss of $8,000 in United Way money will hurt the agency's health education programming, executive director Allison Clark said in a written statement.

"The loss of their funding will affect the number of important health programs we can provide in our service region, as well as reduce the impact we can have on the important health issues on which we currently focus," she said.