PARKERSBURG — The Sisters Health Foundation Board of Directors has approved $496,841 in grants to 50 nonprofit organizations in the Central Ohio Valley.
“The two most important issues in this funding cycle are access to nutritious food and access to mental health care,” said Marianne Krause, deputy director of the foundation. “Food insecurity is increasing, reflecting increased food costs and reduced resources available during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many studies also suggest that the pandemic is adversely affecting individuals’ mental health, exacerbating already existing insecurity The crisis in mental health care.”
Twenty-three organizations that provide direct services, such as food and emergency assistance, received a total of $60,000 from the Basic Needs/Direct Services Grant Program.
* Adams House Ministries, Middleburn — Offering $4,500 in fresh produce vouchers to Taylor County residents.
* Parkersburg Baptist Temple — $2,000 to purchase food for the Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry.
* Belpre Area Ministries — $2,000 to purchase food for the food pantry and food stamps.
* Catholic Charities West Virginia — Spending $4,000 to purchase food for a mobile food pantry in the Central Ohio Valley.
* Nelsonville Appalachian Ohio Foundation/Meigs County Foundation — $2,500 to purchase food items that will be distributed monthly to families with school-age children in Meigs County.
* Parkersburg Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd — Spending $4,000 on food purchases, bagging and distribution to homeless people in Wood County.
* Greater Marietta Community Food Pantry — $3,500 to purchase food for distribution to families under the emergency food assistance program.
* Jackson County Public Library – Spend $500 to purchase personal care items, clothing, shoes and underwear for someone who has experienced domestic violence.
* Elizabeth Living Hope Ministries — $1,000 to purchase food and supplies to prepare hot meals and distribute them at locations in Elizabeth and Parkersburg.
* Meigs County Farmers Market — $3,000 for food stamps to support veterans and produce at a donation station.
* Packs of Plenty, Harrisville — $4,000 to support the purchase of food and food stamps for Ritchie County students/families in need.
* Ripley Church of the Nazarene – Spend $2,000 on diapers, wipes and other baby hygiene products as well as hygiene products to address adult incontinence issues.
* Ritchie County Family Resource Network — $3,500 to purchase food, cleaning and hygiene supplies for the Basic Needs Food Pantry.
* Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown – $1,000 to support families from the mid-Ohio Valley with housing expenses while their child is hospitalized.
* Savannah’s Closet, Ravenswood — $3,000 to purchase clothing, shoes and hygiene products for children in the foster care system and those with emergency needs.
* South Parkersburg United Methodist Church — $2,000 to purchase food for the Lunch Sak program at Gihon and Martin elementary schools.
* Strait Creek Food Pantry, Brohard — $750 to purchase food for the pantry.
* Salvation Army of Marietta — Offering $4,000 to homeless people in Washington County to subsidize the cost of motel stays during extreme weather conditions.
* The Salvation Army of Parkersburg — $4,000 to provide rental assistance to individuals and families to ensure they can remain in stable housing in the central Ohio Valley.
* Voices of the Streets Inc. Essentials Yours, Parkersburg — $1,750 to purchase personal care/hygiene items, home cleaning products, bath towels and shower curtains for clients transitioning from homelessness to stable housing.
* Washington County Harvest of Hope — Spending $4,500 to purchase lean meats to distribute to food pantries and group dining sites.
* Wesley United Methodist Church, Vienna — $500 may be used to purchase food for a snack pack program for Neal Elementary School students.
* Parkersburg Midwest Regional Drug Court — $2,000 to purchase food, cleaning and hygiene supplies to assist participants.
Twenty-seven organizations received support totaling $436,841 in recognition of their efforts to meet community health needs in priority areas such as healthy eating, active living; thriving communities; and mental health and addictions.
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Priority areas for healthy eating and active living
* Parkersburg Boys & Girls Club — $12,000 to support cooking classes and nutrition education for club members.
*City of Ravenswood — $3,000 to support summer physical activity program for residents.
* Frontier Local School District — $10,000 to purchase playground equipment for Newport Elementary School.
* My Sister’s Place, Athens — $5,000 to support the construction of a new play set in the shelter’s backyard.
* River of Life Care Closet, Rutland, OH — $2,000 to support repairs to lift gates on their box trucks and purchase additional traffic cones and speed humps for weekly food distributions.
* 1982 Foundation, Grantsville — $10,000 to repair walking trails at Wayne Underwood Field.
* Upper West Fork Volunteer Fire Department, Chloe, W.Va. — Purchased a carousel for the Upper West Fork playground for $5,000.
* Wood County Schools — $10,000 to purchase materials for an outdoor cafe and tranquil garden at VanDevender Middle School.
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Prosperous community priority areas
* American Friends Service Committee, Milton – $15,000 to support policy and advocacy efforts, including restorative justice programs, ending restrictions on SNAP eligibility and reentry support for people in recovery.
* Calhoun Homes, Mt. Zion — Purchased a commercial washer and dryer for $18,776.
* Meigs County Council on Aging — $60,000 for multi-year flexible operating support to provide multi-generational services, programs and resources to the Meigs County community.
* Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department — $30,000 for operational support for oral health programs.
* Nazareth Farms, Salem — $4,000 to support the Home Repair Project Coordinator for the Ritchie and Taylor County Home Repair Projects.
* Betsey Mills Corporation in Marietta — Spending $4,800 to replace the flooring in the child care room.
* Town of Grantsville — $18,000 to purchase playground equipment at town parks.
* West Virginia Health Right — $70,000 to provide multi-year flexible operating support for a Rowan County mobile dental clinic.
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Mental Health and Addiction Priority Areas
* Athens Photography Project — $15,000 to expand access to arts-based mental health and addiction recovery support services in Athens County through peer-to-peer expressive photography workshops.
* BoMar Club, Ripley — $20,280 to support peer support positions to increase services for individuals with substance use disorders and/or homelessness.
* Ely Chapman Education Foundation, Marietta — $12,480 to support the organization’s health and wellness coordinator and mental health services provided by the Counseling Center of Southeast Ohio.
* Good To You, Vienna — $1,000 to support coordinators and purchase chairs for NADA auricular acupuncture therapy, which reduces anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and addictive cravings.
* Marietta College — $20,000 to support the expansion of programs that address students’ mental health needs to other college campuses and communities.
* Parkersburg Area Coalition for the Homeless — $28,900 to support renovations to the organization’s new building.
* Ritchie County Primary Care Association — $20,605 to support the purchase of psychological assessment tools to complete comprehensive and professional evaluations of high-need patients, allowing the organization to meet patient needs and launch a residency program at West Liberty University.
* Square One GJM, Gallipolis — $20,000 to support licensed social workers serving Meigs County residents.
* John W. Clem Recovery Home, Athens — $14,000 spent on furnishings for men’s sober living rooms.
* Children’s Voices Foundation – CASA Program, Parkersburg — $4,000 to help recruit and train volunteers to serve as court-appointed representatives to children who have experienced abuse and trauma.
* West Virginia Kids Count, Charleston – Donate $3,000 to support efforts to improve the well-being of children in the central Ohio Valley and across the state.
For the upcoming funding cycle, the deadline for letters of inquiry for the Responsive Funding Program is midnight on January 17, 2024. Requests must align with one of Sisters Health Foundation’s priority areas for funding mental health and addictions; Thriving Communities; and Healthy Eating, Active Living. Letters of inquiry for the Responsive Grant Program may be submitted online at www.sistershealthfdn.org without the need to schedule a phone conversation in advance.
For Basic Needs/Direct Services grant requests, nonprofits interested in applying for support should contact Clowes at [email protected] or 304-424-6080 to begin the process. The application process involves a conversation followed by preparation of the application with the assistance of Foundation staff.
The foundation serves 11 counties in the Central Ohio Valley of West Virginia and southeastern Ohio: Calhoun, Jackson, Pleasant, Ridge, Rowan, and Taylor counties in West Virginia , Wirt and Wood counties, and Athens, Meigs and Washington counties in Ohio. For more information about grants and eligibility requirements, visit www.sistershealthfdn.org.