The '''100 Neediest Cases''' is an annual charitable campaign jointly sponsored by the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' and the local chapter of the United Way. The campaign selects 100 families and individuals that are profiled in the ''Post-Dispatch'' during November and December. Local students participate in contests for the selection of companion illustrations in the profiles.<ref>{{cite news |title=St. Louis' 100 Neediest Cases This Holiday Season |url=http://www.fox2now.com/news/morningshow/ktvi-st-louis-100-neediest-cases-120209,0,3654035.story |accessdate=12 December 2010 |newspaper=KTVI Fox 2 News |date=December 2, 2009 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718072601/http://www.fox2now.com/news/morningshow/ktvi-st-louis-100-neediest-cases-120209,0,3654035.story |archivedate=2011-07-18 |url-status=live }}</ref> The sponsoring organizations and other charities absorb the administrative cost. Local organizations adopts individual cases, donating food, medications, household necessities, and holiday presents etc. for the 100 beneficiaries of the campaign.
The campaign also facilitates the adoption by local organizations of about 1,200 additional cases that are not featured in the newspaper. This is about ten percent of the annual total of meritorious cases that are identified and compiled by local social service agencies.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Neil |first=Tim |title=A new season begins for an enduring cause |url=http://www.stltoday.com/news/special-reports/100-neediest/article_2f8882c3-5cf6-5a3e-8c5c-611c1bab9f00.html |accessdate=12 December 2010 |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=November 16, 2009 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010015103/http://www.stltoday.com/news/special-reports/100-neediest/article_2f8882c3-5cf6-5a3e-8c5c-611c1bab9f00.html |archivedate=2012-10-10 |url-status=live }}</ref>
The campaign began in 1922. The ''Post-Dispatch'' began profiling the "100 neediest" cases in the mid-1950s and the name was born. The name parallels similar campaigns in other cities, such as the "neediest cases" campaign sponsored by ''The New York Times'' every holiday season.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/neediest Neediest Cases - The New York Times]</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.100neediestcases.org/ 100neediestcases.org] * [http://www.stltoday.com/neediest/ ''Post-Dispatch'' page on the 100 neediest cases]
Category:St. Louis Post-Dispatch Category:1922 establishments in Missouri