Nonprofit of the Year helps to meet community’s needs

By MIKE BOLLINGER

The 88 members of the Junior Women's League of Smithfield are constantly working to make sure as many needs as possible in Johnston County are met.

“We work to fund programs that don’t necessarily get attention from other organizations,” President Kelly Blanchard said.

The JWL partners with the Partnership for Children of Johnston County, Harbor of Johnston County, the Johnston Health Foundation, the Miracle League of Johnston County, the Me Fine Foundation, My Kid’s Club and the SECU Hospice House of Johnston Health. “We’ve had the same partners from the beginning. As the county grows, the needs of our partners grow,” Blanchard said.

The JWL has chosen food insecurity as the group’s focus topic. Blanchard said members have come up with several ideas and ways to help. One of those ways has been to build “blessing boxes.”

These boxes are located at the Benson, Clayton (stations 1 and 2), Kenly, Meadow, North Side Fire and Rescue Station 1 (Archer Lodge), North Side Fire and Rescue Station 2 (Thanksgiving), Pine Level, Selma and Smithfield fire departments. People can put donations of nonperishable food and other items in the boxes, and those who need help can take what they need.

“This program has really expanded. Schools and churches are also putting them out on their own,” Blanchard said.

Seeing that children needed a good source of protein, the JWL started its Peanut Butter Buddies program. In the beginning, the goal was 900 jars. The first year, 3,300 jars were collected. This year, the organization collected 4,932 jars of peanut butter. They were distributed to the 23 county elementary schools that participate in the Backpack Buddies program, five middle schools and My Kid’s Club.

Members have put together a cookbook for women at Harbor of Johnston County, a domestic violence and assault agency, to help the women with making affordable meals using the resources they have. In addition, JWL has started Fostering With Dignity. Through this program, members raised money and packaged duffel bags that were given to foster care children. The group made 260 bags. “Some of these children come to care with little or nothing,” Blanchard said.

Through another JWL program, older children can get clothes from a clothes closet established at the county department of social services. The organization’s Adopt a Golden Angel program saw members sew caddies to give to older people that included adult coloring books, back scratchers and other items. Also helping foster care children and senior citizens is the Letters from Santa program. Santa Claus sent letters to 195 foster children and 125 senior citizens through this effort.

“We have two big projects that are our major fundraisers. We have Touch A Truck in the fall and Big Night Out in the spring. The money raised goes to community impact grants. Since the League’s establishment in February 2016, it has awarded more than $139,000 in grants to county non-profits and student scholarships,” Blanchard said.

The $1,000 scholarship is offered to a female graduating senior at Smithfield- Selma High School. “Students apply through the Johnston County Educational Foundation. We not only look at grades, but also at community involvement. We are looking to expand next year to give at least one more scholarship to female students from throughout the county,” Blanchard said.

Since the very beginning, the JWL has had a winter coat program for children in My Kid’s Club and the Partnership for Children of Johnston County. This past winter, members provided 124 winter coats. “Our membership donates the coats. Some members did seek coats from outside the organization,” Blanchard said.

JWL is frequently contacted by other organizations with a surplus of items to see if the group can distribute them to those in need. “At Christmas, an organization contacted us and said it had more items than it could use. We distributed those in the community. We have people contact us all the time and ask us if we could donate their surplus items to community programs,” said Vice-President of Public Relations Lisa Bland.

Working with other women’s organizations, the need for a diaper closet in Johnston County was identified. “This far exceeded expectations. We donated 31,000 diapers and 30,000 wipes through this program,” Blanchard said.

The JWL also facilitated and sponsored a women in agriculture panel, Ask a FarmHER, in cooperation with the JoCo Grows Agriculture Committee and the Johnston County Farm Bureau Young Rancher and Farmer program. The group has also sponsored candidate forums during elections. “We look for ways to help women develop professionally and to highlight what women can bring,” Blanchard said.

Future projects include the continuation of Career Days with My Kid’s Club. “These have been phenomenal. We are trying to get more engaged with young people in the county,” Blanchard said.

The JWL is accepting new members through July 31. Bland noted the group offers a partial membership scholarship for those who want to join but may need it. The group is open to women age 22 and older. “We have members up to age 70. It’s not just a young women’s group. Everyone has something to offer,” she said.

“We have women from all over the county and also women who work in Johnston County. They offer many different perspectives and many ways to meet needs,” Blanchard said. “We hope to continue to grow our membership and help support women of all ages. We also want to branch out and allow nonmembers to attend meetings and see our different programs and see if they want to join. We need to figure out how to embrace the next generation of women.”

For more information about the Junior Women’s League of Smithfield, visit www.jwlsmithfield.com or on Facebook at Junior Women’s League of Smithfield, NC.