Among the organizations PACF has supported through grantmaking is the Latrobe Street Mission, which has been a grant recipient since 2012. The Mission provides vital services for individuals experiencing homelessness in the Mid-Ohio Valley, and at the heart of its work is someone whose quiet consistency and heartfelt commitment have made a lasting difference: volunteer Barbara Haught.

Since November 2011, Barbara—known lovingly as Barb, Aunt Barb, or Grandma Barb—has been a constant presence at the Latrobe Street Mission. She began volunteering after seeing a call for help on Facebook. “They were highlighting a homeless shelter and looking for volunteers,” she recalls. “I came in, and they put me right on the schedule. I started a couple of days a week and ended up doing six. I just took Sundays off to go to church.”

Now in her 70s, Barbara still gives three days a week at the front desk, in addition to helping with the John Six Food Ministry on weekends, which also receives PACF support. Whether answering phones, greeting people seeking shelter, handing out clothing, or managing the donation closet, Barb handles it all—offering comfort, guidance, and dignity.

For Barbara, the relationships she builds with residents are the most meaningful part of the work. She fondly remembers a young boy who would run up to her at the front desk saying, “Barb, I’m glad you’re here.” “That one little good feeling wipes out all the other bad feelings that came before,” she reflects. Though she’s happy the boy and his family eventually found a home, she still wonders what became of him. “You connect with these people, especially the kids,” she said. “You want so badly for things to get better for them.”

Barbara’s strength is rooted in her own story. A single mother who spent decades working in a local factory, she says she’s always valued hard work and helping others. “I don’t come here for the money. I’m here because I care,” she says. “So many people don’t know what it’s like to grow up in a family. It humbles me. I want them to know not everyone’s bad, and someone cares about them.”

She credits her late mother—a church pianist, Sunday school teacher, and volunteer “grandma” at a children’s home—for instilling that spirit of generosity. Now, Barbara continues that legacy, not only through service but through sweet traditions. “My mom was the pie baker, but I’m more of a cookie and fudge baker,” she laughs.

Staff at the Mission describe her as both a rock and a firecracker. “Barb has a heart of gold, but she doesn’t let people walk all over her,” says Natosha Roberson, the Shelter Manager. “She’s the one I point people to when they ask about volunteering. She shows up, every week, without fail. We literally couldn’t do this work without her.”

Barbara's impact extends far beyond her scheduled shifts. She purchases office supplies with her own money, reorganizes the clothing closet, and brings structure and steadiness to the Mission’s daily operations. But perhaps most important is what she gives people who are struggling: someone who listens without judgment. “Volunteering gives me purpose,” she says. “It keeps me young, it keeps me going, and it reminds me how blessed I am.”

The PACF is honored to support local organizations like the Latrobe Street Mission through its competitive grants processes, annual GiveLocal MOV crowdfunding campaign, and with permanently endowed operating support funds. Recent support for the Latrobe Street Mission includes emergency SUN grant funding in the amount of $3,500 for air conditioning repair to maintain the Mission’s summer cooling stations. Other previous grant funds provided vital kitchen upgrades, hygiene supplies, and other general operational needs. 

“Volunteers like Barb magnify the impact of every grant we receive,” says Natosha. “She reaches people on a level paid staff sometimes can’t. She’s more than a volunteer—she’s family to so many.”

Through Champions in Community, the PACF is proud to lift up people like Barbara Haught because they remind us that everyone can give something and that small acts of kindness add up to big change.

As a Community Foundation, our role is to help nonprofits and charitable community leaders do more good — through grantmaking, education, collaboration, and partnership. But ultimately, it’s people like Barbara, caring neighbors who bring that good to life, every single day. The PACF wishes to inspire neighbors to keep building a future rooted in integrity, compassion, and community. Together.

For questions about grant opportunities or to nominate a rockstar volunteer, contact Amy Nahley at 304-428-4438 or email info@pacfwv.com. To inquire about how you can support grant funding as a charitable partner, please call Julie Posey at 304-428-4438.