ES Community Foundation awards $339k to local organizations

The Eastern Shore of Virginia Community Foundation board met last week and awarded grants to the Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, Camp Occohannock on the Bay, Dos Santos Food Pantry, Junior Achievement, The Arlington Foundation, and the Eastern Shore Community College Foundation. The Fall 2022 grants total $134,000. The 2022 total amount granted by the organization was $339,400.

“We received more grant requests during this round of grants than we had available funds which made our decisions very difficult. We are encouraged by the response to our funding and believe that the leadership of our many nonprofits are well-positioned to support the residents of the Eastern Shore of Virginia.” remarked Julie Badger, ESVCF Executive Director.

The grant to the Auxiliary, an active and seasoned non-profit on the Shore, will assist in the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment for the Ophthalmology Department. For additional information on the Auxiliary please visit https://www.riversideonline.com/locations/hospitals/riverside-shore-memorial-hospital/riverside-
shore-memorial-hospital-auxiliary.

Another grant recipient, Occohannock on the Bay, was awarded a grant to purchase and install new playground equipment. The camp offers positive experiences to youth from across the Shore regardless of religious affiliation. For additional information on the camp, please visit https://www.ootbay.org/.

Also awarded funds this fall was Dos Santos Food Pantry for the purchase of a refrigerated vehicle to allow for safe frozen and fresh food distributions. For additional information on the organization, please visit https://dossantosfoodpantry.org/. Junior Achievement also received a grant to allow Accomack County students to attend their annual program in Salisbury, MD. The program focuses on inspiring and preparing young people for success. For additional information on Junior Achievement, please visit their website at https://easternshore.ja.org/?_ga=2.81979669.208751861.1667228612-729934857.1664990511.

An additional grant was made to the Eastern Shore Community College Foundation for a website creation/replacement. For additional information on the College and their Foundation, please visit https://es.vccs.edu/.

And finally, a grant was made to the Arlington Foundation through the Archaeology Conservancy to replace, restore and create signage for the Custis Tombs historical site on the lower Shore. For additional information on these organizations, please visit https://www.archaeologicalconservancy.org/.

“It’s been an honor to lead this organization in the past five years. The Community Foundation and our nonprofit organizations work together very well to enhance life on the Shore and we’re very proud of the work they do.” said Bruce Holland, Board Chair.

The ESVCF is now taking applications for the Spring 2023 round of grants. Interested non- profit organizations can visit the website at www.esvcf.com for grant guidelines. Fall grant applications must be received by March 1, 2023.
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The Eastern Shore of Virginia Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, is a 501c3 organization based on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. For more information, please visit the website at www.esvcf.com, email [email protected] or call 757-789-0910.