LUMBERTON — After 26 years as a fair-share giver, Darrell McKellar was rewarded Tuesday when he became the 14th qualifier in the Robeson County United Way new car giveaway.

McKellar signed up at his first job when his father — “who always gave” — told him it was a worthy cause.

Fair-share givers donate the equivalent of an hour’s pay each month to the Robeson County United Way, which distributes money to 18 local organizations that helped an estimated 67,000 Robesonians last year.

The local United Way is $200,000 short of its $715,000 annual fund-raising goal, as fewer companies are contributing money and fewer people are enrolled in the fair-share program. Sandra Oliver, executive director of the Robeson County United Way, blames the poor economy.

Last year, the United Way raised 91 percent of its $715,000 fund-raising goal.

When McKellar received the fair share form at Alamac, a textiles manufacturer, “I didn’t even have to read it,” he said. “I’ve always given, even before they were doing the car giveaway.”

Alamac has six employees registered in the fair-share program, according to United Way records.

Each Tuesday since October, a cage containing 843 fair share givers’ names has been rotating between four participating car dealerships — Jerry Johnson Chevrolet, Lumberton Honda, Lumberton Nissan and Peterson Toyota — to select qualifiers for the final drawing for a new car on Jan. 28 at Biggs Park Mall.

The next drawing is at Lumberton Nissan.