Junior Women’s League presents $12,000 grant

Submitted by JWL OF SMITHFIELD

SMITHFIELD — Recently the Junior Women’s League of Smithfield presented a Community Impact Grant award to Partnership for Children of Johnston County for $12,000. Funds were raised during JWL’s Diaper Drive in the fall of 2020.

Due to a quick pivot from the Junior Women’s League of Smithfield’s TouchA-Truck Committee, the hard work of members and the incredible support of the community (and beyond), JWL was also able to donate more than 31,000 diapers, as well as wipes and diaper creams, to help establish a Diaper Closet at PFCJC, the first in Johnston County.

The county and the towns of Benson, Clayton, Four Oaks, Princeton, Smithfield and Wilson’s Mills issued proclamations declaring October Diaper Need Awareness month, bringing further attention to an issue that many people in Johnston County struggle with.

“The Partnership for Children of Johnston County needed our help with filling their diaper closet and although our original plans were altered this year, we still had a goal of collecting as many items as we could to help as many families as possible in Johnston County,” said Dana Satterfield and Destiny Savage, the committee cochairs. “Our members and our community pulled together to make our Touch-A-Truck Diaper Drive a success despite the odds being against us. We are so thankful for the incredible support. We had help from all over Johnston County, and, with the help of others and the hard work of our JWL members, we were able to surpass our goals for this year.”

The Partnership for Children of Johnston County is a non-profit organization that helps improve the safety, health and emotional well-being of young children by enhancing the quality of childcare, supporting strong families and reaching out to at-risk kids. They work collaboratively with likeminded organizations and strive toward early childhood education and school readiness for all of Johnston County’s children. For more information about activities and events hosted by Partnership for Children of Johnston County please visit their website, www.partnershipforchildrenjoco.org

The Junior Women’s League of Smithfield is a nonprofit organization with the mission to promote voluntarism, develop the potential of women and improve the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. JWL’s impact has been significant. To date, the JWL has presented $112,000 in community donations and completed over 10,600 hours of community service. Visit www. jwlsmithfield.com to learn more.