Harrison County Community Foundation Supports Area Students
Blessings in a Backpack Program at Harrison Hills Elementary Schools Receives $500 Grant Award
Cadiz, OH – The Harrison County Community Foundation (HCCF) at the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO), is pleased to announce a $500 grant award to the Blessings in a Backpack program. The program provides weekend nutrition for students in need at Harrison East and Harrison North Elementary Schools in the Harrison Hills City School District.
“The Harrison County Community Foundation was created to serve community needs and support new opportunities in Harrison County,” said Lori Milleson, a committee member with HCCF. “We so appreciate the work Blessings in a Backpack does to support kids in need here in Harrison County and are happy to play a part in putting food in the homes of children who need it most.”
Blessings in a Backpack is a national nonprofit organization that partners with the Harrison Hills City School District and its Safe Schools Healthy Students initiative to send food home on the weekends for students who participate in the Federal Free and Reduced Price Lunch program that may not have enough food in their households to eat on the weekend. Currently, more than 180 students are served by the program weekly.
Research shows that in addition to no longer feeling weekend hunger pangs, children fed by Blessings in a Backpack find it easier to learn in school, do not get in as much trouble, feel cared for by their community, feel that they are helping their family, and have better school attendance.
“Thanks to the generosity of the Harrison County Community Foundation and its donors, we will be able to provide an entire school year’s worth of food for five children,” said Jenny Gibson, a program administrator with the Safe Schools Healthy Students initiative at the Harrison Hills City School District. “The weekly cost of a bag of food for our students is $2.70 – this grant will provide over 185 bags of food for students most in need over the weekend.”
The Harrison County Community Foundation was established in 2012 to ensure permanent support for the citizens and communities of Harrison County. A member of the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio’s Family of Funds, HCCF works with FAO to create opportunities for Harrison County residents and citizens by inspiring and supporting philanthropy. A fall grant round for tax-exempt organizations serving Harrison County will open later this year.
Gifts to the Harrison County Community Foundation are tax deductible and can be made in many ways, including cash, bequests, and life insurance. Donations can be made online at www.AppalachianOhio.org by designating the Harrison County Community Foundation Fund when donating. To mail your donation, please designate the Harrison County Community Foundation and mail in care of Mike Sliva to 235 S. Main Street, Cadiz, OH 43907.
For more information about the Harrison County Community Foundation and how you can support worthwhile projects in Harrison County, please visit www.AppalachianOhio.org/HCCF or call the Foundation at 740.753.1111.
About the Harrison County Community Foundation (HCCF)
Created by anonymous donors interested in having a local source for giving back to Harrison County, HCCF is guided by a local advisory committee, and managed and supported by the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio. More information can be found at www.AppalachianOhio.org.
About the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio
The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) is a regional community foundation serving the 32 counties of Appalachian Ohio. A 501(c)(3) public charity, the Foundation creates opportunities for Appalachian Ohio’s citizens and communities by inspiring and supporting philanthropy. For more information about FAO, visit www.AppalachianOhio.org.
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