Wholespire Archives - Wholespire

PSE Simplified: Determining if your project is a PSE change or program

Jun 20, 2024 | Blog, PSE Approach & Strategies, Wholespire

Wholespire provides grant opportunities to communities across South Carolina for implementing a policy, system or environmental (PSE) change project. It’s a concept that can be challenging to explain and understand. To prepare you for any upcoming grant opportunities from Wholespire, we want to help you determine if your project is a PSE change or a program. We also want to help you save time before applying for a grant that will not get funded because it is considered to be a program.

What is a Program?

Programs typically occur over a short period of time and only focus on individual behavior change. They are often considered health education rather than community health improvement. Hospitals and health centers often provide programs that teach people living with chronic diseases how to manage their condition through diet and exercise.

What is PSE Change?

Policy, systems and environmental change make healthier choices more practical and readily available to all members of a community and influence community health and well-being. They are often part of an ongoing project or plan. PSE change reaches more people and leads to more impactful, long-term changes in community health.

PSE Change + Programs = Greater Success

Wholespire focuses on whole community health through PSE change, while other organizations focus on individual behavior change through programs. We support the use of programs to reach individuals because programs and PSE change complement each other and can lead to even greater success than a stand-alone program.

Scenario 1: One-time Event

A municipality receives a Wholespire mini-grant to create a paved walking trail in a local park. They host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on opening day that features exhibitors offering health education information and giveaways for community members. The one-time event is a tactic to get community members to the new trail.

Scenario 2: Traditional Program

A community health needs assessment shows eating fruits and vegetables is important to community members, and they don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables because they don’t know how to prepare and cook with them. The local health coalition chooses to host a free Cooking Matters program to teach individuals how to cook with fresh produce. To supplement the classes, the coalition partners with the local community garden. Garden organizers donate produce from the garden for the cooking demonstrations and give free produce boxes to participants.

Decoding Jargon: 6 essential Wholespire terms to know

Jun 13, 2024 | Blog, Wholespire

Have you ever left a meeting thinking, ‘I have no idea what they said’? Maybe you started working on your grant final report and don’t understand what’s being asked. That’s probably because of jargon—language used by people within a particular profession, culture, or social group.

When we work in complex fields, we revert to jargon because that’s what we know. We’ve trained our brains to use words associated with our work. At Wholespire, we understand that the people we are in contact with come from different backgrounds. We are continuously attempting to change the language we use. We want to explain some of them because, in addition to jargon, some of our words mean something different in other environments.

1. Technical Assistance

When the average person hears this word, they might think computer help, but that’s far from what we mean. Technical assistance (TA) is a non-financial form of help like connecting coalitions to funding sources, sharing information, providing training, consulting on projects and leadership coaching. Read more about technical assistance on our blog.

2. Community

We use this word in its traditional sense. A community is a group of people with a shared geographic location. It also means a feeling of fellowship with others as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. When Wholespire talks about community, we often mean the town, city or county as a whole, but there are times when we are addressing other types of communities, like:

Schools,
Religious centers,
People with disabilities,
Early child care centers, and
Worksites.

3. Community Engagement, Youth Engagement

Community and youth engagement means involving community members and youth in the decision-making, planning, and evaluation of projects. It’s getting their input, perspectives and active participation to make sure that projects and policies are relevant, effective, and have long-term solutions. It often leads to an increased sense of community, empowerment, and inclusion.

4. Sustainable, Sustainability

When we provide technical assistance or open a grant application, we often ask if the project or idea is sustainable. We ask this because we want to invest in policy, systems and environmental change projects that are continual over a long time. It’s important to think about how the completed project will be maintained and who will be responsible for keeping it in safe, working order. Here are three examples of sustainability:

For a community garden, sustainability means creating a plan for who will pull weeds, harvest vegetables and prepare the beds for the next season.
For a park, sustainability could be what organization is responsible for keeping the grass mowed and the equipment safe to use.
For a trail, sustainability includes a plan for keeping the trail cleared of brush, fallen limbs and litter.

5. Leverage, Leveraging

Here’s another jargony word that can leave you guessing: leverage. In finance, it means something completely different. At Wholespire, leverage means using something you already have to achieve something new or better. On our grant final report, we ask, “How did you leverage this grant?” We want to know how you were able to make the project happen after you received funds from Wholespire.

We also ask this question to find out if the mini-grant had an impact that was above and beyond the initial project. Did a recipient of a grant, for instance, use donations to expand from one garden to three? Alternatively, it’s possible that the city noticed a park improvement and offered to update another park. There are many ways you can leverage your project:

In-kind donations are contributions of goods or services, other than money. This can be volunteers, employers lending employees on the clock, heavy equipment use, or dirt. Yes, dirt!
Funding from other sources is a great way to supplement your budget. Apply for other grants, conduct a fundraiser, ask for donations or host a silent auction.
Leverage your existing partnerships. Leaning on partners is a great way to share information, learn from each other and accomplish goals together. Plus, partnerships can lead to additional funding opportunities.
Social media marketing can help raise awareness about your project, get the community involved, and collect donations. Social media also contributes to community or youth engagement because you’re reaching parts of the population that you may not have touched in newsletters and other forms of communication.

6. Implement, Implementation

Implementation is more than just completing the physical work of making your project happen. It’s the process of turning your project plan into a reality by following the action plan and making sure it’s successfully completed. Key components of implementation include:

Making sure the funding, personnel, equipment and materials are available,
Coordinating and organizing volunteers,
Monitoring and tracking progress,
Making adjustments to keep the project on schedule,
Communicating progress and challenges with the funder and partners,
Reviewing the process to identify lessons learned for future projects , and
Promoting the completed project to the community.

Leveraging the community for 20 tons of dirt

In 2021, Wholespire funded GoForth Recovery in Spartanburg for a basketball court project. Initially, the plan called for clearing enough land for the basketball court, but the vision soon grew to clear an entire lot to make room for future additions. The mini-grant only funded about half of the total project cost, so the executive director needed to secure full funding. News of the project reached various community members, businesses, partners, and associates. As the challenge was being faced, the old courthouse in Spartanburg was being demolished. Upon hearing about the need, officials donated the extra dirt. Project organizers estimated that 30 truckloads were delivered at no cost to them.

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Tips to consider when writing a Wholespire grant proposal

Jun 3, 2024 | Blog, PSE Approach & Strategies, Wholespire

Funding your organization’s mission isn’t always easy, especially for non-profits. A lack of direct income means you often have to rely on external funding sources to support your work. This is a good opportunity where grants can help.

While working with a grant writer can help boost your chances of an application being funded, it isn’t always possible and organizations must then rely on their own staff. While grant writing is multifaceted, it’s very much a learnable skill. When people ask me to explain what I do as a grant writer, I’ve often replied that it isn’t rocket science, but organization and attention to detail are critical.

When people ask me to explain what I do as a grant writer, I’ve often replied that it isn’t rocket science, but organization and attention to detail are critical.

If you don’t have a lot of experience in developing grant proposals, here are a few tips to help your application stand out to reviewers:

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Follow any formatting instructions provided on the application.

Pay attention to formatting specifications: Does the application ask you to use a certain font or to only submit as a PDF or Word document? Is the narrative (or any other section) supposed to be in paragraph style or bullet points? Is there a word count or other size limitation to your answers? Write as briefly and concisely as you can, and only give the information the application is requesting.

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Describe your project in detail.

Arguably the most important part of a grant application is the project description. Ensure that you have narrowed your focus and that your project aligns with the mission of the funder. Projects that are too broad in scope will often not be funded because there either isn’t adequate time or money to successfully complete the project. Here are some things to consider when writing your project narrative:

Why is the proposed project needed? What problem or opportunity will you address? Statistics and solid numbers will help enhance your proposal even more.
How will you accomplish the proposed activities and objectives?
Who will the project benefit? Be as specific with numbers and characteristics as you can, particularly if your project will serve disadvantaged groups such as low- to moderate-income, minorities, at-risk youth, or people with special needs.
Is your proposed project part of a larger project? Many grants are used to move along or complete a larger project. Funders like knowing they are playing a part in a greater effort, but be specific in what phase of the project these particular grant funds will go toward.

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Offer relevant background information.

Sticking to a 300-word limit project summary while also being specific is not a simple task. Other sections in the application, such as asking for information on your organization’s mission and activities, are where you can fill in the gaps and expand on details from the project summary. Here are some examples of helpful information to include:

Demographics of the community being served.
Project outcomes: how the proposed project will benefit the community or audience of focus and how you will measure your success.
Sustainability: how will the project continue beyond the grant cycle?
If applicable, a description of the larger project and what stage you are in.

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Develop an accurate budget.

Most grants will maintain a maximum amount you can request in funding. Always make sure your budget falls at or below this number (unless you intend to fund the rest, which should be noted with a funds-commitment letter from the head of your organization). When putting together a cost estimate, it’s always better to have line items provided by a professional contractor, online pricing, or other verified means rather than figures you have assumed yourself.

Sometimes a funder may want to see your previous fiscal year’s organizational budget or bank statements to ensure you are operating at a profit and will have some available funds to continue your project. Be sure to include this information if requested.

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Define community engagement efforts.

Community support of a project reinforces that a need exists within your area. Explain how input from your community led you to focus on this particular issue. This is also an appropriate section to describe key partnerships. What organizations and groups are you collaborating with, both by way of financial support and in-kind or volunteer efforts? How do you leverage other resources in the community?

Most community coalitions conduct community health needs assessments to determine what’s important to community members and what they need most to lead a healthy lifestyle. Specifically for Wholespire’s mini-grants, use this information to prioritize policy, systems, or environmental projects and include it in the grant proposal.

Often times, your local government may also have administered a community needs assessment that you can request. If, however, an applicant does not have a needs assessment to rely on for direction, there are other ways to evaluate the community’s opinions and needs. Online surveys and community meetings are easy and low-cost alternatives.

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Make sure to proofread!

Don’t let spelling and grammatical errors take away from an otherwise strong grant proposal. These types of careless oversights can lead to a reduction in scoring. Make sure to take advantage of spelling and grammar check tools before submitting your proposal.

It’s also a good idea to ask someone else to help you proofread your application. You’ve read through the application many times, so you may inadvertently skip over some errors or not have provided enough detail in a certain section. A second set of eyes could catch something you haven’t and can offer feedback to any clarifications needed.

Wholespire’s mini-grants (and non-profit or foundation grants in general) are very competitive, so give yourself enough time to write a quality application.

Wholespire’s mini-grants (and non-profit or foundation grants in general) are very competitive, so give yourself enough time to write a quality application. Reviewers can tell how much effort you put into your application and the proposed project by the information you submit. Allow yourself the time needed to submit your application prior to the due date.

Adrienne Patrick is the Director of Development at MPA Strategies, a statewide marketing and public relations firm. She is a certified Grant Writer and has successfully secured over $3 million in funding for MPA client projects including local infrastructure, non-profit programming, city planning, and community parks. Adrienne has years of experience in event planning and fundraising for both non-profits and political candidates, including serving as Governor David Beasley’s Finance Director for his United States Senate Campaign. She is a journalism graduate of the University of Georgia.

Getting to know Jamaius White

Sep 7, 2023 | Blog, Wholespire

Jamaius White recently joined the Wholespire staff to oversee The HYPE Project. He will play a major role in the success of the youth engagement program. Let’s get to know Jamaius.

Jamaius White is the manager of The HYPE Project.

Q: What’s your favorite healthy snack?
A: I could eat watermelon every single day!!!

Q: What’s your favorite way to stay active?
A: Lift Heavy Weights!!!

Q: Can you start by telling us a little bit about your educational background and interests?
A: My education is a product of my interest in music and physical activity. In high school, I studied music under the guidance of Mr. Willie E. Lyles at WJ Keenan High School in Columbia. You can find many of his lessons in my actions to this very day. One of the things he would tell us that has stuck with me is ‘Character is who you are when no one is watching.’ Being a percussionist for his music program yielded a great benefit to my development as a health educator. He made sure his students understood the history behind the music being played. That helped us make a connection to the music. That holds true in my work and personal life. We must understand the history behind the things we do in order to have an impact. My tenure in the Health Education Department at SC State University was a humbling, yet, encouraging experience. My vision for physical education matured immensely.

Q: What attracted you to the position?
A: I was attracted to the position because it gives me the opportunity to work in the health education field but through a different lens. Prior to Wholespire, I worked more from a boots-on-the-ground perspective and now I’m working at an administrative level. One of my true passions is to be an influencer of youth. I believe I can improve the relationship between youth and healthier decision making. The Program Manager position for The HYPE Project allows me to do that. Wholespire is the vehicle that will drive me towards that ultimate goal of getting South Carolina fit.

Q: How would you summarize what you have done so far?
A: Right now, I’m in the process of fine-tuning the curriculum and all of the tools and processes related to implementing The HYPE Project. I’m getting ready for the next advisors’ training and onboarding the next HYPE teams. Also, I’m preparing to be a presenter at the SCAPHERD conference in November. So, I guess you can say that I’m getting my feet wet.

Q: What are you looking forward to most with your job?
A: I look forward to developing a system that is sustainable for growth for every organization that creates a HYPE team in their community. My goal is to literally increase advocacy, civic engagement, physical activity and a sense of belonging for youth. I’m looking forward to getting out in our communities and finding out how I can help make that happen through The HYPE Project.

Q: What do you enjoy most about working here?
A: Outside of the immeasurable support from staff, I enjoy the immediate inclusion of my thoughts and ideas. The hybrid workspace is ideal for me too. I’m able to create a work schedule that allows me to go to the gym. I don’t have to worry about missing those critical moments in my kids’ lives. I can work virtually from anywhere.

Q: How do you live out the Wholespire mission?
A: I am all about sustainability in every sector of my life. Coming from a health coach background, I preach creating habits that are sustainable for healthy lifestyles. I own a personal training business and I know the importance of making healthy changes that will last a lifetime. I always tell my clients to choose habits that they can do from now until the end of time.

Q: What’s one thing people don’t know about you that they would be surprised to find out?
A: I did not participate in organized sports in college. People look at me and ask if I play football all the time, lol. I always laugh and reply “My brother did, I played drums.” I played drums for the Marching 101 Band at SC State University.

Learn more about Jamaius on our website.

Why do we use the mini-grant model?

Mar 17, 2022 | Blog, Wholespire

Depending on how long you’ve been keeping up with Wholespire, you may be aware that we award mini-grants to community coalitions and organizations periodically. Our application process is competitive, meaning we weigh various health outcomes, population, and demographic data to help determine the most need. However, what you may not know is why we offer mini-grants, rather than large chunks of money. In this post, we’ll explain the history of our mini-grants and the reason we use this model.

What is the Mini-Grant Model?

Mini-grants are grant awards that are relatively small amounts of money and typically have short implementation periods.

Since 2018, Wholespire has been offering mini-grants of up to $5,000 to community coalitions, schools, local government, faith-based groups, and other non-profit organizations. These mini-grants can be used to implement a policy, systems, or environmental change that addresses healthy eating and/or active living. To date, 45 mini-grants have been awarded for projects like:

Add signage to an existing walking loop,
Add fitness stations to parks,
Create community gardens,
Include bilingual signage at farmers’ markets, and
Start new HYPE teams to lead civic action projects similar to the ones just listed.

Why Wholespire Adopted the Mini-Grant Model

Before 2018, Wholespire awarded large grants with a longer implementation period to help a small number of communities work on multiple improvement projects. Our hope was there would be a greater health impact. But that didn’t happen with all of the communities we funded.

Some communities experienced challenges, while others didn’t. Receiving a large amount of money can be overwhelming. It isn’t always easy to choose how to spend the money and what areas to tackle first. Sometimes it’s difficult to reach a consensus, while other times, you get so bogged down in a couple of strategies that the other strategies and the money get lost.

After evaluating these instances, Wholespire noticed that even when coalitions have large amounts of grant funding, they tend to spend their money in smaller increments like $5-$10,000 rather than spending large amounts of money at one time. We concluded that change needed to happen. We needed to look internally and adopt a different approach to grantmaking. So, we began using the mini-grant model to help grantees manage their awards better.

Successes Related to the Mini-Grant Model

We found that the smaller mini-grant investments led to a domino effect of momentum in communities. Oftentimes, the mini-grants led to investments by community partners as well as in-kind donations. Adopting this model meant we would be able to give more coalitions and organizations the opportunity to apply for these small grants.

In addition to being able to reach more coalitions, it gives community coalitions and organizations a chance to implement a project without the burden of managing large amounts of funding or committing to a long period of time. Coalitions can organize and work on community action plans without the time constraints of a grant and then apply for a mini-grant when they are ready to carry out their plan of action.

why the mini-grant model works

Our experiences have shown that many community coalitions and organizations are looking for a few hundred dollars to complete a project that fits our mission, while others need seed money to get a project moving. Wholespire provides funding opportunities, when available, for not only these reasons but ultimately to reduce health disparities, improve health equity, and increase access to healthy choices.

Are you interested in learning more about our funding opportunities? Visit the Community Action page on our website or contact us.

What is Technical Assistance?

Mar 17, 2022 | Blog, Wholespire

As pioneers of policy, systems, and environmental change in South Carolina, Wholespire has provided technical assistance to hundreds of community coalitions and partners over the past 15 years. It’s a service we provide to help build the capacity of and sustain community coalitions, strengthen community-based projects, and improve the likelihood of better health outcomes.

Oftentimes, technical assistance is provided to partner organizations and addresses other areas of our work, like advocacy, youth engagement, and marketing. In this post, we’ll define technical assistance, show some examples, and tell you how you can take advantage of our technical assistance services.

What is technical assistance?

Technical assistance, also known as TA and commonly referred to as consulting, is the process of providing specific support to a community coalition or organization with a development need or problem. It is an effective method for building the capacity of any community coalition or organization.

Technical assistance can be provided in a variety of ways. It can be one-on-one consultation or small group facilitation. It can be provided in person or by phone, email, or other online methods. In addition to being referred to as consulting, TA is also known as coaching or mentoring.

At Wholespire, TA applies to our areas of expertise – policy, systems, and environmental strategies, advocacy, coalition development and sustainability, The HYPE Project®, and marketing and communications. The range of subtopics is almost endless. The only area our TA does not cover is IT support.

Why is it important?

Technical assistance is important to any community coalition or organization, no matter the stage of development and operations. When you don’t have expertise in a specific area in your coalition or organization, leaning on consultants is often used to learn more about the issue, the needs of the community or group, develop action plans, the actual implementation of those plans, and any steps needed after to sustain the effort.

Ten years ago, when Wholespire was responsible for creating a youth advocacy strategy, The HYPE Project®, we leaned on experts at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. We also sought information from other youth-serving organizations and youth advocacy programs. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help.

Technical assistance can lend to the longevity of your coalition or organization. It’s called capacity building – the process of developing and strengthening the skills, instincts, abilities, processes, and resources that organizations and communities need to survive, adapt and thrive in a fast-changing world (United Nations).

What does it cost?

At Wholespire, we provide free and fee-based technical assistance services. Free technical assistance is provided to Wholespire chapters and grantees. TA can range from organizational structure and partnership development to advocacy/policy development and project implementation. Another example of free TA is when a mini-grant applicant needs guidance on the application or requests, input on their project idea, or needs help getting over unforeseen hurdles during their project. TA also includes connecting our grantees with other existing local community health initiatives that can complement their project, open up doors for future collaboration, lead to other funding opportunities, and, ultimately, make communities healthier and more equitable.

Fee-based TA is a contracted service provided to partners and other organizations that request assistance. This service addresses similar areas as our free service; however, they’re typically more specific. An example is partnering with Healthy People Healthy Carolinas to help their grantees with achieving their goals. Another example is providing an advocacy training series, resources, and tools to the SC Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance to help them understand and begin advocacy work.

Remember, technical assistance plays a key role in developing and sustaining community coalitions and organizations into the future. It’s a way to use expert help to assess current capacity, build on strengths, and address underlying needs. If your community coalition or organization is interested in learning more about our technical assistance services, contact us at info@wholespire.org.

The meaning behind the Wholespire brand

Aug 26, 2021 | Blog, Wholespire

By now, you’ve probably heard about or seen our new name. But, what exactly does it mean? There’s a complete ideology behind the Wholespire name and logo. And, we’re going to explain it to you!

Why did we rebrand?

When an organization or business wants to change its name and logo, there’s a reason behind that decision to move forward. Wholespire’s decision was based on the evolution of its work from only healthy eating and active living (HEAL) to HEAL plus other public health issues like chronic disease prevention and management. The new brand also allows Wholespire to support partner initiatives related to HEAL like school lunch debt, pay equity, fair housing, poverty, and other social and economic factors that impact access to healthy opportunities and choices.

How did we do it?

After issuing a rebrand Request for Proposal and interviewing several qualified candidates, Wholespire chose to work with TRIO Solutions, Inc. out of Mt. Pleasant, SC. TRIO hit the ground running and researched all of our existing marketing resources, interviewed a diverse group of partners, provided reports of their findings, and pointed out our strengths and weaknesses. It was clear that we made the right decision to rebrand.

What’s in a name?

When you look at any organization or business name and logo, there’s a meaning behind those elements. There’s a meaning behind ours.

The name and logo creation phase resulted in a name and logo that represented all our wishes. We wanted something short and purposeful. Something impactful and unique. Something representative of what we do. TRIO set out on a brainstorming journey that included many ideas, making our decision not so easy. We chose Wholespire!

Wholespire combines the word “whole” (referring to all of something; in good health) with the words “aspire” (what you’re striving for) and “inspire” (what you hope to evoke in people). Wholespire is the state in which a complete and harmonious community is achieved.

Is there meaning in a logo?

Yes, there is a meaning behind the elements of logos. For Wholespire, we wanted something colorful, energizing, and memorable. TRIO, again, provided multiple logo drafts, making our decision even harder than choosing the name.

The image below depicts the meaning behind each element of the Wholespire logo:

What about the colors?

Through the rebranding process, we learned that choosing colors have meaning too. People associate different emotions with colors. We wanted our new colors to speak harmoniously to our partners and audiences.

Our new brand more effectively illuminates our support of local initiatives and advocacy that inspire wellness in all communities. We believe our new name reﬂects how coming together to increase access to wellness in communities creates uniﬁcation and wholeness.

We are Wholespire and we’re here to serve communities as we have for the past 14 years! Contact us if you have questions about our rebrand journey.

Hunger in a Time of Crisis: Technical Assistance is Just as Important as Financial Assistance

Sep 17, 2020 | Blog, Wholespire

ESMMSC Executive Meg Stanley and Manager of Policy & Advocacy Phil Ford volunteer during a food distribution in Fairfield County.

Somewhere, someplace, somehow, an Eat Smart Move More South Carolina (ESMMSC) staff member is guiding a coalition, a partner, a HYPE team, or a partner through a project or process that will lead to a better outcome. It’s called technical assistance, and it’s just one of the driving forces behind the work of the organization. Technical assistance can be many non-financial forms of help like connecting coalitions to funding, sharing information, providing training, consulting on projects, and leadership coaching. That’s what ESMMSC staff do, even during a pandemic.

“Our staff immediately saw the problems people would be facing with food access, especially the children who depended on school food. It’s the one place hungry children can rely on for a sure meal,” said Meg Stanley, executive director at ESMMSC. “We couldn’t imagine having hundreds of thousands of children sitting at home without healthy meals.”

ESMMSC convened as many statewide and local partners (over 100) to address the emergency food insecurity issues caused by COVID-19. Resources were pulled together, emergency preparedness strategies were shared, and a webpage of resources and food distribution sites across the state was published. All of this coordination, brainstorming, and action happened within two weeks with website updates and food insecurity calls continuing in the months to come.

ESMMSC partnered with Healthy Learners and SC PASOS to create Spanish language versions of the food distribution information located on the ESMMSC website.

“When Healthy Learners approached us about translating the food distribution portion of the website for the Latinx community, we said yes without hesitation,” said Stanley. “We completely embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion, and so it made absolute sense to partner on the translation and distribute the information to the Latinx community.”

As the coronavirus lingered over the following months, ESMMSC applied for and was awarded a grant from the OneSC Fund to provide mini-grants to communities in immediate need of assistance in addressing hunger. Forty communities received funding to purchase healthy foods and personal protective equipment.

“We did not turn our backs on those rapid response grant applicants that were not funded,” said Stanley. “We connected them to other funders and other community organizations and encouraged them to pull their resources together. We were not going to leave them wondering what to do next.”

In addition to connecting the applicants to other resources, ESMMSC staff had the opportunity to provide more technical assistance to communities:

Assisted in securing grant funds from another source for food distributions.
Connected state legislators to local coalitions interested in hosting food distributions.
Volunteered at many food distribution events.
Connected a restaurant in need of donating food to a local Council on Aging.
Requested Healthy Blue donate bags for food distributions. And they did!
Shared stories of local coalitions’ food distribution efforts and how they made them safe for everyone.

“While the coronavirus has been stressful and long, it has brought out the good in people. We’ve witnessed an outpouring of love for those in need from our partners, our community members, and our elected officials,” said Stanley. “Our partners and our staff did a fantastic job leading, connecting, and making things happen in a time of crisis. We’re not out of the woods. Food insecurity remains a priority for us and our partners.”