Parkersburg, WV – Forty-two nonprofit organizations in the Mid-Ohio Valley were awarded grant funding in support of our vision of “healthy people in healthy communities”. At its most recent meeting, the Board of Directors approved a total of $541,326.
“This grant cycle, it has been great to support a variety of organizations who are connecting food systems with our healthcare systems through FARMacy programs and related produce prescription programs,” Executive Director Renee Steffen said. “These connections are a win-win for everyone involved because we know food insecurity impacts one’s health in a variety of ways.”
Fifteen organizations that provide direct services, such as food and emergency assistance, received a total of 50,100 from the Basic Needs/Direct Service Grants Program.
Adams House Ministries; Middlebourne, WV — $5,000 for fresh produce vouchers for Tyler County residents.
Beechwood Presbyterian Church; Parkersburg, WV — $1,700 for fresh food for their emergency assistance program.
Children’s Hunger Alliance; Columbus, OH — $3,000 for ready to serve meals and fresh produce for children in Meigs County over the summer and after school in the fall.
Good Shepherd Episcopal Church; Parkersburg, WV — $4,700 to purchase food for people experiencing the homelessness.
Greater Marietta Community Food Pantry; Marietta, OH — $4,000 to purchase food, specifically meat, dairy, and produce for their pantry.
Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio; Worthington, OH — $3,500 for non-perishable food and fresh produce to support their mobile food pantries in Athens and Meigs Counties.
Meigs County Farmers’ Market; Pomeroy, OH — $700 for items to set up the donation station at the farmers’ market.
Parents & Friends of the Hearing Impaired, Inc.; Marietta, OH — $3,000 to purchase or repair hearing aids for low income deaf and hard of hearing persons residing in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
Parkersburg Urban Ministries; Parkersburg, WV — $5,000 to assist Wood County residents with utility payments.
Right Path for Washington County; Marietta, OH — $3,000 for fresh local produce for farmers market events for youth and families in Washington County.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio; Columbus, OH — $2,000 to supplement the cost of guest family stays for Mid-Ohio Valley residents while their children are in the hospital.
The Betsey Mills Corporation; Marietta, OH — $4,500 to purchase new mattresses and box springs for residents of the club.
Washington County Harvest of Hope; Marietta, OH — $4,500 for healthy lean protein to distribute to food pantries and meal sites in Washington County.
Wood County Schools; Parkersburg, WV — $3,000 to support the costs of vision exams for Emerson Elementary students.
Zion Baptist Church of Parkersburg; Parkersburg, WV — $2,500 to purchase backpacks and essential items for people experiencing homelessness.
Twenty-seven organizations received support totaling $491,226 for their efforts addressing the health needs of their communities in the priority areas of Healthy Eating, Active Living; Thriving Neighborhoods; and Mental Health and Addiction.
Healthy Eating, Active Living Priority Area
Boys and Girls Club of Pleasants County; St. Marys, WV — $20,000 to upgrade and improve the cafeteria and classroom where club members eat meals and engage in projects.
Boys and Girls Club of Washington County; Marietta, OH — $16,000 to support the Triple Play program as well as garden improvements to enhance safety and add more learning components.
Calhoun Family Resource Network; Grantsville, WV — $5,000 to support story collection, training and advocacy toward the Right to Food in Calhoun County.
Community Food Initiatives; Athens, OH — $18,100 for capacity building support to help their organization with sustainable growth of services.
Memorial Health System; Marietta, OH — $19,850 to support the FARMacy program in Tyler County in which patients are provided with 15 weeks of fresh locally grown produce and educated on healthy living habits.
Mountaineer Food Bank; Gassaway, WV — $18,000 to support the improvement of organizational culture and enhance staff skills, performance, and commitment to the overall food bank.
Rural Action; The Plains, OH — $25,000 to support their produce prescription project which partners with health clinics to distribute healthy local foods and healthy pantry basics to low income families in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
Washington-Morgan Community Action; Marietta, OH — $4,500 to support their summer program which provides hot nutritious lunches to children in New Matamoras, Beverly, Lower Salem and Lowell.
Wild, Wonderful, and Healthy Pleasants County; Friendly, WV — $9,900 to support the purchase of materials, kitchen tools, and fresh produce for weekly produce prescriptions for participants.
WVU Extension Service – Family Nutrition Program, Wood County; Parkersburg, WV — $4,500 to support the purchase of produce and supplies for children’s pop up farmers markets.
WVU-Roane County Extension; Spencer, WV — $4,500 To support the purchase of gardening supplies for Geary Elementary Middle School in Roane County.
Thriving Neighborhoods Priority Area
American Friends Service Committee; Milton, WV — $15,000 to provide support for policy advocacy work at the legislative and administrative level, including expanding child nutrition programs, restorative justice in schools, and ending restrictions on SNAP eligibility.
Birth Circle; Athens, OH — $4,000 for capacity building support for their relocation.
Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg; Parkersburg, WV — $14,650 to support the cleaning and restoration of outdoor spaces at the club as well as the revitalization of their Discovery Garden.
Children’s Museum of the MOV; Parkersburg, WV — $20,265.50 to support the Projection Pounce exhibit which addresses early childhood motor skills and social connectedness.
Circles Campaign of the Mid-Ohio Valley; Parkersburg, WV — $36,000 for multi-year operating support to assist families in their efforts to transition out of poverty.
Latrobe Street Mission; Parkersburg, WV — $5,000 to assist with the purchase of a walk-in cooler.
Marietta/Belpre Health Department; Marietta, OH — $4,000 to support the purchase of portable medical equipment used to provide services for women’s reproductive health.
Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine; Athens, OH — $60,000 for multi-year funding support to provide uninsured/underinsured patients with labs, diagnostic screenings, diabetes and chronic disease management supplies, transportation assistance, medication, and specialist referrals.
O’Neill Senior Center; Marietta, OH — $15,000 to assist with the replacement of their phone system to more effectively provide services to seniors in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
The Arc of the Mid-Ohio Valley; Parkersburg, WV — $44,210.50 to support the purchase and installation of an ADA elevator to allow access to the second floor.
Washington County Career Center; Marietta, OH — $25,000 to support the purchase of the Syndaver Surgical Model Bundle Cadaver for their medical programs.
Mental Health and Addiction Priority Area
Mid-Ohio Valley Fellowship Home; Parkersburg, WV — $50,000 for multi-year operating support for Covid agency related expenses.
Ohio University Survivor Advocacy Program; Athens, OH — $3,750 to support the cost of EMDR training for Ohio University staff so as to provide trauma-focused therapy for student survivors at the university.
OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital; Athens, OH — $25,000 to support the hiring of a full time youth bereavement counselor serving Athens County and contingent counties.
Washington County Homeless Project; Marietta, OH — $20,000 To assist in funding security and AmeriCorps staff during their winter operation as well as food for their summer feeding.
Women for Recovery; Athens, OH — $4,000 to support women residents in a sober living environment with healthy eating habits and a sense of community.
The due date for requests under the priority areas of mental health and addiction; thriving neighborhoods; and healthy eating, active living is July 13, 2022. By midnight of this date, submit a full application for the Basic Needs/Direct Service Grants Program or a letter of inquiry for the Responsive Grants Program. Nonprofits are encouraged to contact Sr. Molly Bauer, Senior Program Officer, at 304-424-6080 or mbauer@sistershealthfdn.org with questions about whether their grant request may be a good fit for the Basic Needs/Direct Service Grants Program. Letters of inquiry for the Responsive Grants Program may be submitted online at www.sistershealthfdn.org without scheduling a prior phone conversation.
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; Athens, Meigs, and Washington counties in Ohio. For more information on our grantmaking and eligibility requirements, visit our website www.sistershealthfdn.org.
The Sisters Health Foundation promotes healthy and sustainable communities by providing resources, strengthening collaborative relationships and supporting initiatives that impact people in the Mid-Ohio Valley. Since 1996, the Sisters Health Foundation has awarded over $20 million in grants.