PARKERSBURG — The Sisters Health Foundation’s Board of Directors has approved $496,841 in grants for 50 nonprofit organizations in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
“Two issues that came to the forefront in this grant cycle are access to nutritional food and access to mental health care,” said Marian Clowes, associate director of the foundation. “Food insecurity is on the rise, reflecting the increased cost of food combined with a reduction of resources that were available during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many studies also have shown that the pandemic adversely impacted mental health for individuals, adding to what was already a crisis in access to mental health care.”
Twenty-three organizations that provide direct services, such as food and emergency assistance, received a combined $60,000 from the Basic Needs/Direct Service Grants Program.
* Adams House Ministries, Middlebourne — $4,500 for fresh produce vouchers for Tyler County residents.
* Baptist Temple of Parkersburg — $2,000 to purchase food for the Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry.
* Belpre Area Ministries — $2,000 to purchase food and food vouchers for the food pantry.
* Catholic Charities West Virginia — $4,000 to purchase food for the mobile pantry serving the Mid-Ohio Valley.
* Foundation for Appalachian Ohio/Meigs County Foundation, Nelsonville — $2,500 to purchase food for monthly distribution to families with school-aged children in Meigs County.
* Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Parkersburg — $4,000 to purchase food for bags to distribute to people experiencing homelessness 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 — $500 to purchase personal care items, clothing, shoes and undergarments for people who have experienced domestic violence.
* Living Hope Ministry, Elizabeth — $1,000 to purchase food and supplies to prepare hot meals for distribution at sites in Elizabeth and Parkersburg.
* Meigs County Farmers’ Market — $3,000 to support food vouchers for veterans and produce for the donation station.
* Packs of Plenty, Harrisville — $4,000 to support the purchase of food and food vouchers for Ritchie County students/families in need.
* Ripley Church of the Nazarene — $2,000 to purchase diapers, wipes and other hygiene items for babies and hygiene products to address incontinence for adults.
* Ritchie County Family Resource Network — $3,500 to purchase food, cleaning and hygiene products for the Basic Needs Pantry.
* Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown — $1,000 to support the costs of lodging for families from the Mid-Ohio Valley while their children are in the hospital.
* Savannah’s Closet, Ravenswood — $3,000 to purchase clothing, shoes and hygiene items for children in the foster care system and for children with emergency needs.
* South Parkersburg United Methodist Church — $2,000 to purchase food for the Lunch Sak program for Gihon and Martin Elementary Schools.
* Strait Creek Food Pantry, Brohard — $750 to purchase food for the pantry.
* The Salvation Army of Marietta — $4,000 to supplement the cost of motel stays during extreme weather conditions for people in Washington County who are experiencing homelessness.
* The Salvation Army of Parkersburg — $4,000 to provide rental assistance to individuals and families to ensure that they are able to remain in stable housing in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
* Voices of the Streets Inc. Essentially Yours, Parkersburg — $1,750 for the purchase of personal care/hygiene supplies, household cleaning products, bath towels and shower curtains for their clients who are transitioning from homelessness to stable housing.
* Washington County Harvest of Hope — $4,500 to purchase lean meat for distribution to food pantries and congregate meal sites.
* Wesley United Methodist Church, Vienna — $500 to purchase food for the Snack Pack program serving Neale Elementary School students.
* West Central Regional Drug Court, Parkersburg — $2,000 to purchase food, cleaning and hygiene products to assist participants.
Twenty-seven organizations received support totaling $436,841 for their efforts to address the health needs of their communities in the priority areas of Healthy Eating, Active Living; Thriving Neighborhoods; and Mental Health and Addiction.
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Healthy Eating, Active Living Priority Area
* Boys & Girls Club of Parkersburg — $12,000 to support cooking classes and nutrition education for club members.
* City of Ravenswood — $3,000 to support the 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 playset in the shelter backyard.
* River of Life Care Closet, Rutland, Ohio — $2,000 to support the repair of their box truck’s liftgate and the purchase of additional traffic cones and speed bumps for weekly food distributions.
* The 1982 Foundation, Grantsville — $10,000 to repair the walking trail on Wayne Underwood Field.
* Upper West Fork Volunteer Fire Department, Chloe, W.Va. — $5,000 to purchase a merry-go-round for the Upper West Fork playground.
* Wood County Schools — $10,000 to purchase materials for an outdoor cafe and calm-down garden at VanDevender Middle School.
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Thriving Neighborhoods Priority Area
* American Friends Service Committee, Milton — $15,000 to provide support for policy and advocacy work on issues that include restorative justice programs, ending restrictions on SNAP eligibility and reentry support for people in recovery.
* Calhoun Homes, Mt. Zion — $18,776 to purchase commercial washers and dryers.
* Meigs County Council on Aging — $60,000 for multi-year flexible operating support to provide multi-generational services, programs and resources in Meigs County communities.
* Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department — $30,000 for operating support for the oral health program.
* Nazareth Farm, Salem — $4,000 to support the home repair project coordinator for the home repair programs in Ritchie and Tyler Counties.
* The Betsey Mills Corporation, Marietta — $4,800 to replace the flooring in a child care room.
* Town of Grantsville — $18,000 to purchase playground equipment for the town park.
* West Virginia Health Right — $70,000 for multi-year flexible operating support for the Roane County mobile dental unit.
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Mental Health and Addiction Priority Area
* Athens Photographic 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 a peer support position to increase services for people experiencing 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 Southeastern Ohio Counseling Center.
* Good To You, Vienna — $1,000 to support the facilitator and to purchase chairs for NADA ear acupuncture protocol which reduces anxiety, PTSD and addiction cravings.
* Marietta College — $20,000 to support the expansion of a program that addresses the mental health needs of students to other college campuses and to the community.
* Parkersburg Area Coalition for the Homeless — $28,900 to support the renovation of the organization’s new building.
* Ritchie County Primary Care Association — $20,605 to support the purchase of psychological assessment tools to complete comprehensive and specialized evaluations for high-need patients, enabling the organization to meet patient needs and to initiate an internship program with West Liberty University.
* Square One GJM, Gallipolis — $20,000 to support the licensed social worker serving Meigs County residents.
* The John W. Clem Recovery House, Athens — $14,000 to purchase furniture for the sober living house for men.
* Voices for Children Foundation-CASA Program, Parkersburg — $4,000 to help recruit and train volunteers to serve as court-appointed representatives for children who have experienced abuse and trauma.
* West Virginia Kids Count, Charleston — $3,000 to support efforts to improve the well-being of children in the Mid-Ohio Valley and the state.
For the upcoming grant cycle, the due date for letters of inquiry for the Responsive Grants Program is midnight on Jan. 17, 2024. Requests must align with one of the Sisters Health Foundation funding priority areas of Mental Health and Addiction; Thriving Neighborhoods; and Healthy Eating, Active Living. Letters of inquiry for the Responsive Grants Program may be submitted online at www.sistershealthfdn.org without scheduling a prior phone conversation.
For basic needs/direct service grant requests, nonprofits interested in applying for support should contact Clowes at mclowes@sistershealthfdn.org or 304-424-6080 to begin the process. The application process involves a conversation, followed by preparation of the application with foundation staff assistance.
The foundation serves 11 counties in the Mid-Ohio Valley in West Virginia and southeast Ohio: Calhoun, Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Wirt, and Wood counties in West Virginia and Athens, Meigs, and Washington counties in Ohio. For more information on grantmaking and eligibility requirements, visit www.sistershealthfdn.org.
