The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation and Regional Affiliates (PACF) announced support for nonprofit organizations and charitable projects throughout the region through its fall Community Action Grant Program. The PACF awards grants from a variety of funds created by individuals, organizations, and area businesses to support critical community needs. Individuals and organizations who have Donor Advised Funds at the Foundation also partner to support projects each grant cycle, greatly expanding the Foundation’s grantmaking capacity.

PACF’s grant awards this fall total $334,971, including $6,125 from the Doddridge County Community Foundation, $3,900 from the Ritchie County Community Foundation, and $3,800 from the Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation affiliates.

Among the largest grants this fall included three operating support grants to Habitat for Humanity of the Mid-Ohio Valley, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Mid-Ohio Valley, and the Gilmer County Family Resource Network.

“The PACF has been steadfast in helping our nonprofit community grow in our abilities to address issues facing our population,” said Alvin Phillips, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of the Mid-Ohio Valley. “Habitat for Humanity has benefitted in many ways from the partnership we have with the PACF. Our most recent grant award will help us to grow our retail capacity, which in turn, will create a more sustainable source for our funding needs. We appreciate the assistance that the PACF gives, both financially and their giving advice when we are facing challenges.”

To be considered for a Community Action Grant, an applicant must be a private, nonprofit organization or a public institution. Either the applicant or program to be funded must be located in the Foundation’s eleven-county geographic service area (Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Jackson, Mason, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt, and Wood counties in West Virginia, and Washington County, Ohio).

The fall 2022 Parkersburg Area Community Foundation & Regional Affiliates grant recipients are:

  • American Red Cross of the Ohio River Valley - $12,000 for disaster response training and response
  • Arnoldsburg Volunteer Fire Department - $7,451 for water rescue equipment
  • Belpre Performing Arts Boosters - $20,500 to provide needed instruments for music programs
  • Boys & Girls Club of Washington County - $8,000 for transit van to provide transportation to its Belpre site
  • Catholic Charities West Virginia - $12,675 to support Mobile WellnessWorks food pantry serving rural counties in the region
  • Children’s Museum of the Mid-Ohio Valley, Inc. - $5,602 to purchase the HyGenie ball washing system to sanitize balls used in the Ball Factory exhibit
  • City of Pennsboro - $5,100 for lighting improvements at Sullivan Gymnasium
  • Consumer Credit Counseling Service of the Mid-Ohio Valley - $10,000 for operating support
  • Doddridge County Family Resource Network - $2,100 to support Caught Volunteering, a summer program to encourage youth to volunteer in the community
  • Doddridge County Humane Society - $3,369 to purchase a storage shed for equipment
  • Doddridge County Middle School - $1,533 to purchase materials for programs supporting student success
  • East Wood Volunteer Fire Department - $12,600 to purchase new radios
  • Ely Chapman Education Foundation - $14,500 for underserved students in the Williamstown area to attend afterschool and summer programs
  • Gabriel Project of West Virginia – Northern Panhandle Chapter - $17,725 to provide cribs, mattresses, car seats, diapers, wipes, formula, and baby in Calhoun, Doddridge, Pleasants, Washington, and Wood counties
  • Gilmer County Ambulance Service – $4,500 to purchase portable Laerdal Suction Units for each ambulance
  • Gilmer County Family Resource Network - $10,000 for operating support
  • Grantsville Conservatory of Music and Fine Arts - $7,150 to purchase instruments needed to provide music education
  • Habitat for Humanity of the Mid-Ohio Valley - $20,000 for operating support
  • Lubeck United Methodist Church - $10,000 to purchase a refrigerator and food items for the Lunch Sak program for students
  • Memorial Health Foundation - $10,000 to provide free breast screening for patients from West Virginia with financial need
  • Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department - $2,250 to help prevent and heal chronic diseases
  • Minnie Hamilton Health Care Center - $4,700 to help equip the community education room at the new Arnoldsburg Clinic
  • Nazareth Farm - $9,000 to assist with home repairs in Ritchie and Doddridge counties
  • Parkersburg South High School Band Boosters - $6,000 to replace aging sousaphone instruments
  • Pennsboro Volunteer Fire Department - $8,800 to purchase larger diameter fire hoses
  • Progress Ridge Community Building - $5,000 to renovate and improve the community building
  • Ritchie County Humane Society - $9,375 to renovate and repair the basement dog and cat area
  • Ritchie County Sheriff’s Office - $750 toward purchase of a new K-9 unit
  • Roane County Committee on Aging - $9,000 to replace the roof on the Reedy Senior Center
  • Schrader Youth Ballet Company – $500 to hire ballet soloists to complete the tableau of character dances in the community Nutcracker performance
  • Sleep in Heavenly Peace - $5,000 to purchase materials to build and deliver beds to children in need in Ritche and Doddridge counties
  • The Education Alliance - $10,576 to provide training and resources for AmeriCorps Mentors to support student success for at-risk learners
  • The Memorial Church of the Good Shepherd - $10,500 to offer food and care to the homeless
  • Voices for Children Foundation - $10,000 to ensure the rights and voice of abused children are protected and heard
  • Washington County Career Center - $20,000 for equipment needed to offer Emergency Medical Services training
  • West Virginia Symphony Orchestra – Parkersburg - $7,800 to support the Young People Concert Series
  • West Virginia University Foundation (Children’s Vision Rehabilitation Program) - $5,250 to partially support a low vision clinic in Mid-Ohio Valley area
  • Wood County Parks and Recreation Commission (Mountwood Park) – $4,500 to provide matching funds for a grant to make improvements to White Oak Village
  • Wood County Schools – Parkersburg South High School - $465 to purchase a Stop the Bleed Kit
  • Wood County Sharp Shooters 4-H Club - $2,700 to purchase shooting sports and safety equipment
  • Wood County Society – $8,000 to support Summer Speech expansion program and respite care resources