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From ECU Health

(Washington, NC) – ECU Health Beaufort Hospital recently awarded 23 grants totaling $95,000 to local non-profit organizations in Beaufort and Hyde counties through its Community Benefit Grants program. This year marks the 11^th year funds have been distributed from the program in Beaufort and Hyde counties and over $1.5 million has been awarded to fund nearly 175 projects.

The funds are provided by ECU Health and administered by the Vidant Health Foundation. Each ECU Health hospital has its own grants program designed to meet local needs identified by the Community Health Needs Assessment. The focus areas for the 2022-2023 grant cycle include access to care and services (including transportation), healthy lifestyles (nutrition, food security, physical activity and chronic disease prevention and management), behavioral health and substance abuse.

ECU Health’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina includes helping people take better care of themselves before needing to be hospitalized.  One of the many ways they accomplish this is by making a substantial donation to the Vidant Health Foundation to support the Community Benefit Grants Program. The purpose of the grants program is to positively impact the health of people who live in the communities we serve. 

“This program has benefitted so many individuals in Beaufort and Hyde counties over the past 11 years,” said Pam Shadle, director of marketing, community outreach and development at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital.  Shadle along with Mitch St. Clair, chair of the community benefit grants review committee had the privilege to present checks to each organization at a recent ceremony at the Beaufort County Cooperative Extension office. “It is so rewarding to hear about the great work being done in our community and how these organizations collaborate to better serve the people of Beaufort and Hyde counties,” remarked Shadle.

This year’s grantees include:

• • Albemarle Development Corporation – Meals on Wheels
• • Beaufort County 360 – Riverfront Talk: Substance Matters
• • Beaufort County Cooperative Extension – Food and Nutrition Home Food Preservation Education
• • Beaufort County Developmental Center, Inc Beaufort Area Transit – Essential Transportation
• • Beaufort County Health Department – Faithful Families – Eat Smart, Move More
• • Beaufort County United Way – Project Safe Harbor Hotel
• • Beaufort/Hyde Partnership for Children – Watch Me Grow
• • Boys and Girls Club of the Coastal Plains – Triple Play of Beaufort County
• • CareNet Counseling East – Access to Behavioral Health Care
• • Citizens on the Southside Together – Bridging the Gap for a Healthy Community
• • Coastal Pregnancy Center – Solomon’s Wisdom for Moms and Dads
• • Community Assistance Rural Empowerment (St. John Church of God, DOC)– Champion Your Health
• • Cornerstone Family Worship Center Church of God – Beaufort County Health Clergy, Congregations and Communities (BCH3C) 
• • Eagle’s Wings Food Pantry – Eating Healthy, Eating Well
• • Food Bank of the Albemarle – Emergency Food Distribution programs
• • Hyde County Non-Profit Transportation Corporation – Care-to-Go
• • Hyde County Cooperative Extension – Home Food Preservation
• • NC Med Assist – Free Pharmacy and OTC services for Beaufort area residents
• • Open Door Community Center – Homeless Shelter funding
• • Ruth’s House – The Road to Health, Hope and Safety
• • The Blind Center of North Carolina – ENCight Gardens
• • Washington/Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce – Bright Futures – Stock the Pantry
• • Zion Homeless Shelter and Kitchen – Pathways Beyond Homelessness