The Washington-Beaufort Chamber of Commerce recently held its annual banquet, naming the winners of several awards at the event.

One of the awards — Nonprofit of the Year — was given to Eagle’s Wings of Washington for its continued outreach and role in feeding the hungry in Beaufort County. One of the best things about the nonprofit is that every dollar donated or raised to support its program and projects, stays in Beaufort County. That, along with its 25 years of service to the county, is one reason why it has such strong community support.

The lifeline of the organization is its vast core of volunteers that ensure day-to-day operations of the local food pantry, as well as homebound deliveries. These volunteers give countless hours of their time with one purpose—to help those less fortunate than themselves. According to Ann Marie Montague, director of Eagle’s Wings, one out of every four children in Beaufort County go to bed hungry at night. That is an alarming statistic for even a tier-1 county in America. However, through sourcing food from local growers and producers, mainly in the summer months, from the Food Bank of the Albemarle, which distributes food to local food pantries, and from local businesses, in some cases, Eagle’s Wings helps bring the “one out of four” statistic down significantly.

Though there are many nonprofits in the community that make a difference in people’s lives everyday through outreach, fundraising and several other means, Eagle’s Wings deserved the award from the Chamber of Commerce. Not only does it effectively meet one of the most basic needs known to man, its programs complement its outreach and allow for its clients to not only obtain much needed food, but it also promotes nutritious eating through cooking classes it offers.

Hats off to Eagle’s Wings and the work its staff, volunteers and donors do for the community daily.