Nonprofit With Volunteer Help, JK Community Farm Plans for Record Harvest

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

Volunteers gathered at JK Community Farm over the weekend to help plant 50,000 seedlings, kicking off the growing season for the program that is expected this year to surpass 1 million pounds of fresh produce donated to area food pantries.

Teams from companies and civic groups, along with individuals of all ages, signed up to help with the massive planning effort.

Since its founding in 2018, the community farm has provided chemical free, healthy produce and protein to those struggling with food insecurity in the region. The farm donates the food it grows to nonprofit partners, including Loudoun Hunger Relief, Food for Others, Arlington

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100WomenStrong Awards $567,000 to Charities

100WomenStrong has awarded $567,000 in grants to 46 nonprofits headquartered or providing services in Loudoun County. Since 2009, the philanthropic group distributed more than $4 million to area charities.

“Although Loudoun is among the wealthiest counties in America, we still have families who are suffering from hunger, homelessness, lack of basic healthcare, and substance use disorder. We’ve also seen a tremendous uptick in grant requests for mental health services. In the aftermath of the pandemic and the continued stress of inflation, we hope we can grow our membership to make an even bigger impact in 2024,” Grants Chair Stephanie Place, noted in announcing this year’s awards.

The giving circle was established in 2008 by Karen Schaufeld and 11 other founding members. 100WomenStrong

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BENEFIT Awards Nonprofit Grants

Eight nonprofit organizations have been selected as recipients of grant funding from BENEFIT.

Established in 2017, BENEFIT is a coalition of musicians and community leaders uniting people with music to raise funds and awareness for nonprofit organizations serving children in need in Loudoun County.

A total of $25,000 was awarded among the eight nonprofit organizations. The grant funding was raised from proceeds of BENEFIT’s 2022 Crossroads Music Festival.

Recipients of BENEFIT grant funding week include A Hand Up - NOVA, Inc., which operates the Northern Virginia Diaper Bank, $3,600; Food For Neighbors, $3,500; Ryan Bartel Foundation, $3,400; LAWS Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services, $3,300; Legacy Farms, $2,900; Loudoun Literacy Council, $2,800; The Salvation Army of Loudoun, $2,800; and Just Neighbors Ministry, $2,700.

The

2023 100WomenStrong

grantees are:

• A Farm Less Ordinary - $8,500

• A Place To Be - $20,000

• All Ages Read Together - $25,000

• BetterALife - $6,000

• Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington - $9,000

• Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties$10,000

• Crossroads Jobs - $10,000

• Dulles South Food Pantry - $18,200

• Every Citizen Has Opportunities (ECHO) - $16,602.00

• Friends of Loudoun Mental Health$12,000

• Good Shepherd of Northern Virginia$9,000

• HealthWorks for Northern Virginia$8,500

• Heeling House - $14,000

• INMED Partnerships for Children$12,000

• Insight Memory Care - $10,000

• Just Neighbors - $12,000

• LAWS Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services - $25,000

• Legacy Farms - $10,000

• Leonard W. Kidd Memorial American Legion Post 2001 - $15,000

• Loudoun Cares - $12,000

• Loudoun Club 12 - $15,000

• Loudoun Coalition on Women and Girls - $5,000

• Loudoun Education Foundation$10,000

• Loudoun Free Clinic - $14,000

• Loudoun Hunger Relief - $10,000

• Loudoun Literacy Council - $14,000

• Loudoun Therapeutic Riding Foundation - $12,000

• Loudoun Youth - $3,000

• Love, KK - $5,400

• Mobile Hope - $14,000

• Morven Park, Inc - $3,700

• Northern Virginia Community College Educational Foundation, Inc - $26,250

• Northern Virginia Family Service$15,000

• Ryan Bartel Foundation - $10,500

• SCAN of Northern Virginia - $16,000

• Seven Loaves Services – $10,500

• Shelter House Inc. - $20,000

• The Arc of Loudoun - $20,000

• The Fenwick Foundation $7,000

• The New AG School - $7,000

• The Salvation Army of Loudoun$10,000

• Tree of Life Ministries - $14,000

• Veterans Moving Forward - $7,000

• Virginia Hunters Who Care, Inc.$5,000

• Volunteers of America, Chesapeake & Carolinas - $15,000

• Women Giving Back - $15,000

“We have such admiration and respect for the nonprofit organizations that serve our community,” Amy Bobchek, co-founder of BENEFIT, said. “We are thankful for all they do to help children in Loudoun County, and we are very happy that we are able to provide this grant funding to help support their missions and work.”

“Our BENEFIT grant funding would not have been possible without all the support we received for our 2022 Crossroads Music Festival and the support of our community,” Ara Bagdasarian, co-founder of BENEFIT, said. “We want to thank the musicians, venues, volunteers, and sponsors that participated in and helped with our event, as well as everyone who attended. Your support not only makes a difference for us, but it also makes a difference for the nonprofit organizations who were able to receive this funding.”

BENEFIT’s 2023 Crossroads Music Festival is planned for Saturday, Sept. 16. More information about the format of the event will be available closer to the event date. Businesses seeking to sponsor the event can find sponsorship information on BENEFIT’s website.

For more information about BENEFIT, go to BENEFIT.live. n