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PARKERSBURG — Forty-six nonprofit organizations in the Mid-Ohio Valley were awarded grant funding in support of the Sisters Health Foundation’s vision of “healthy people in healthy communities.”

At its most recent meeting, the Board of Directors approved a total of $481,486.

“We saw a significant increase in requests for support in this cycle for programs and initiatives related to mental health and substance use disorders,” said Marian Clowes, Associate Director. “These requests included projects focusing on prevention, initiatives related to supporting individuals in recovery, and programs aimed at addressing stigma and harm-reduction. In addition, we are seeing increased needs related to affordable housing and housing insecurity. SHF is pleased to be able to support the great work that grant partners are undertaking to address these critical community issues.”

Nineteen organizations that provide direct services, such as food and emergency assistance, received a total of $60,000 from the Basic Needs/Direct Service Grants Program.

*Adams House Ministries; Middlebourne – $4,500 for fresh produce vouchers for Tyler County residents.

*Arnoldsburg Elementary School; Arnoldsburg – $2,500 to purchase items for the school clothing and hygiene closet.

*Belpre Area Ministries; Belpre – $3,000 to purchase food and food vouchers for the food pantry.

*Blessings in a Backpack; Louisville, Ky. – $3,000 to purchase ready-to-eat food items for students at Meigs County Primary and Intermediate Schools.

*Calhoun Middle/High School; Mt. Zion – $2,500 to purchase items for the school hygiene and clothing closet.

*Federal Valley Resource Center; Stewart, Ohio – $2,400 to purchase hygiene and cleaning products to distribute through the food pantry.

*First Lutheran Church; Parkersburg – $4,000 to purchase food for the pantry.

*First Presbyterian Church of Williamstown; Williamstown – $1,000 to purchase food for the Bee Bag program for children and families from Williamstown Elementary School.

*Good Shepherd Episcopal Church; Parkersburg – $5,000 to purchase food for people experiencing homelessness in Wood County.

*Health Recovery Services; Athens, Ohio – $3,000 to assist clients with housing application fees while undergoing treatment for mental health and substance use disorders.

*Jon Six Food Ministry; Vienna – $2,000 to purchase food, hygiene products, bus passes, and clothing for people experiencing homelessness.

*Meigs County Farmers’ Market; Pomeroy, Ohio – $2,500 to support their market programs, including food for their Racine pantry, the community garden in Rutland, and healthy snacks for the Kids Korner.

*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; Ripley – $2,100 to purchase baby hygiene items and hygiene products to address adult incontinence.

*The REACH Initiative; Charleston – $3,250 to support the purchase of basic hygiene and clothing items for the Duffel Bag Project supporting people in reentry in Wood County.

*The Salvation Army of Marietta; Marietta – $4,000 to supplement the cost of motel stays during extreme weather conditions for people in Washington County who are experiencing homelessness or medical emergencies.

*The Salvation Army of Parkersburg; Parkersburg – $4,000 to purchase food for the hot meal program.

*Voices of the Streets Inc. Essentially Yours; Parkersburg – $3,000 to purchase personal care, hygiene, and household cleaning products for clients transitioning out of housing instability.

*Wood County Schools; Parkersburg – $4,250 to purchase food and clothing items for pantries at Parkersburg High School, Jefferson Elementary School, and VanDevender Middle School.

Twenty-seven organizations received support totaling $421,486 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.

Healthy Eating, Active Living Priority Area

*Amputee Center; Parkersburg – $15,000 to provide flexible operating support.

*Baptist Temple of Parkersburg; Parkersburg – $1,500 to assist with truck rental costs to pick up food and to purchase a new refrigerator/freezer for the food pantry.

*Boys & Girls Club of Parkersburg; Parkersburg – $13,400 to support a cooking program that promotes healthy eating habits for youth at the Parkersburg facility.

*Ely Chapman Education Foundation; Marietta – $16,800 to support a part-time Health and Wellness Afterschool Coordinator and the newly established full-time Director of Nutrition.

*Fort Frye Local Schools; Beverly – $20,000 to support the purchase of a greenhouse for agricultural education and programming.

*OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital; Athens, Ohio – $24,000 to support the expansion of the HeartWorks facility to improve care for CardioPulmonary Rehabilitation patients.

*Roane County Committee on Aging Inc.; Spencer – $600 to purchase exercise equipment.

*Strait Creek Food Pantry; Brohard, W.Va. – $1,500 to purchase equipment to improve storage, safety, and efficiency for the food pantry.

*Washington County Harvest of Hope; Marietta – $10,000 to assist in purchasing a new double-door commercial freezer and to support operations.

Thriving Neighborhoods Priority Area

*American Red Cross of the Ohio River Valley; Parkersburg – $30,000 to support the purchase of an Emergency Response Vehicle to address the needs of people impacted by disasters.

*Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department; Parkersburg – $50,000 to provide two years of flexible funding to support oral health programs for children and adults.

*Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Council; Parkersburg – $3,000 to support transportation costs for Senior Companion Program volunteers to visit and assist isolated seniors.

*Pilot Club of Jackson County; Ripley – $5,000 to pay dental costs for uninsured or under-insured individuals in Jackson County.

Mental Health and Addiction Priority Area

*Athens Mental Health Inc./The Gathering Place; Athens, Ohio – $19,400 to support the Conestoga Hut project, providing shelter for people experiencing homelessness.

*Athens Photographic Project; Athens, Ohio – $4,500 to purchase computer equipment for the facility expansion project, which will provide space for additional recovery-oriented programs.

*Boys & Girls Club of Pleasants County; St. Marys – $17,500 to support staff training and implementation of the SMART Moves program, which focuses on prevention and healthy decision-making for youth.

*Calhoun County Schools; Mt. Zion, W.Va. – $25,000 to support tobacco cessation and trauma-informed suicide prevention programs for students.

*Consumer Credit Counseling Service of the Mid-Ohio Valley; Parkersburg – $5,000 to continue financial literacy education and coaching for community members in recovery.

*Field of Hope Community Campus Inc.; Vinton, Ohio – $20,000 to support mental health counseling for Meigs County residents and trauma-informed care for first responders.

*Integrated Health Centers of West Virginia; Harrisville – $2,950 to enable a clinical staff member to become an approved EMDR consultant and trainer.

*Meigs County Health Department; Pomeroy, Ohio – $25,000 to support the Harm Reduction/Fatality Review Coordinator position for the county’s drug overdose, suicide, and child fatality review team.

*Mid-Ohio Valley Fellowship Home; Parkersburg – $50,000 for two years of flexible operating support.

*Perfect Purpose Incorporated; Parkersburg – $10,000 to purchase a van to support the transportation needs of residents of Jess’s House, a recovery residence for women in Marietta.

*Roane County Board of Education; Spencer – $16,536 to support access to Clayful, a chat-based online coaching service that helps students address social and emotional needs.

*Shatterproof; Norwalk, Conn. – $10,000 to support formative research to prepare for a West Virginia statewide anti-stigma campaign related to substance use disorders.

*Voices for Children Foundation – CASA Program; Parkersburg – $5,000 to provide operating support.

*Washington County Health Department; Marietta – $19,800 to provide two-years of support to expand harm reduction programs to New Matamoras.

For the upcoming grant cycle, the due date for requests under the priority areas of mental health and addiction; thriving neighborhoods; and healthy eating, active living is by midnight on Jan. 22, 2025. Nonprofits interested in submitting a Basic Needs/Direct Service grant application should contact Associate Director Marian Clowes at mclowes@sistershealthfdn.org or 304-424-6080 to begin the process. 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 $25 million in grants.