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Grantee Spotlight: Bacon Street Helps Build Resilience and Stronger Families

Grantee Spotlight: Bacon Street Helps Build Resilience and Stronger Families

Oct 2, 2024 | Grantee Spotlight

Grantee Spotlight: Bacon Street Helps Build Resilience and Stronger Families

By: WHF Staff

Bacon Street Youth and Family Services, founded in 1971 as the Drug Action Center, has been a trusted resource for substance use prevention and treatment for youth and their families in the Williamsburg area for over five decades. Established in an office on Bacon Avenue in Williamsburg by a group of concerned citizens, the center aimed to create a safe, drug-free environment for youth to gather after school. Over time, the youth who found support there began to affectionately refer to the center as Bacon Street. In 2015, the organization officially adopted the name Bacon Street Youth and Family Services to reflect their history and broader mission of supporting youth and families.

Today, Bacon Street serves youth, primarily aged 10-26, and their families offering mental health and substance use counseling, social work case management for unhoused families, and free collaborative prevention programs for schools and the community. With an emphasis on building long-term relationships, Bacon Street ensures families receive support when needed.

The demand for Bacon Street’s services remains high, highlighting the importance of their work. According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 18.1% of youth aged 12-17 years and 17.5% of young adults aged 18-25 had a major depressive disorder within the past year. Additionally, an estimated 7.2% of youth and over 26% of young adults used illicit drugs in the past month. In fiscal year 2023, Bacon Street served 368 counseling clients with nearly 3,100 counseling appointments, a substantial increase from their pre-pandemic numbers. Given these challenges, Bacon Street’s work to provide support and resources remains essential, ensuring that families and youth in our community have timely access to care.

The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) has been a long-time supporter of Bacon Street, having awarded 32 grants since 1997 to help advance their mission. WHF recognizes Bacon Street’s commitment to supporting families and building resilience in youth through evidence-based behavioral health and substance use services is as important today as it was 50 years ago.

To learn more about Bacon Street Youth and Family Services, their programs, and how they are making a difference in the lives of youth and families in our community explore their website: https://baconstreet.org/.

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The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) is a private health foundation with the mission to collaborate, innovate, and invest to impact systems that improve the health and well-being of individuals living in Greater Williamsburg. The Foundation was established in September 1996 when the Williamsburg Community Hospital and Sentara developed an affiliation agreement and later merged. This agreement included a provision for a new, locally organized, and managed Foundation to benefit community health. Since inception, WHF has awarded over $110 million in grants to improve community health and well-being.

 

Grantee Spotlight: Virginia Peninsula Foodbank

Grantee Spotlight: Virginia Peninsula Foodbank

Apr 30, 2024 | Blog, Grantee Spotlight

Grantee Spotlight: Virginia Peninsula Foodbank

By: WHF Staff 

As inflation and food costs have increased in recent years, more community members are struggling to provide healthy food for their families. According to the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank (VPF), nearly nine percent of greater Peninsula residents lack access to affordable and nutritious food. VPF and their partner agencies saw more than 77,000 unduplicated individuals seek food assistance in 2023, a 30% increase over 2022. VPF works “to inspire hope by leading the effort for a hunger-free and properly nourished community” through partnerships with 140 agencies to distribute food to those in need across the Peninsula. In collaboration with agency partners, VPF distributed over 1.7 million meals to Greater Williamsburg residents in 2023. Beyond partnerships, VPF is supported by community volunteers who invested more than 20,000 hours sorting, packing, and delivering food in 2023. 

The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) provides grant funding for VPF’s Mobile Food Pantry and the Food for Kids BackPack Programs. Their Mobile Food Pantry distributed 547,713 meals in the WHF service area in 2023, and the BackPack Program will provide food to nearly 370 children to take home from seven elementary schools, two middle schools, and a pre-K program in Williamsburg/James City County throughout the 2023-2024 school year. 

Visit the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank website to learn more or locate a food distribution site near you. 

The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) is a private legacy health foundation with the mission to collaborate, innovate, and invest to impact systems that improve the health and well-being of individuals living in Greater Williamsburg. The Foundation was established in September 1996 when the Williamsburg Community Hospital and Sentara developed an affiliation agreement and later merged. This agreement included a provision for a new, locally organized, and managed Foundation to benefit community health. Since inception, WHF has awarded over $106 million in grants to improve community health and well-being. 

Grantee Spotlight: Older Adults and Social Isolation

Grantee Spotlight: Older Adults and Social Isolation

Apr 15, 2024 | Blog, Grantee Spotlight

Grantee Spotlight: Older Adults and Social Isolation

By Williamsburg Health Foundation 

In May 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, issued an advisory  addressing the profound health impacts of social isolation and loneliness. This report underscored severe health risks, such as a reduced lifespan and an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, anxiety, depression, and dementia. Termed the “loneliness epidemic,” this problem affects individuals across all ages and demographics but can have a particularly negative impact on older adults. A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Consensus Study Report reported that almost one-quarter of older adults aged 65 and above, living independently, experience social isolation. The Surgeon General’s report notes the cost of the health effects related to social isolation in older adults accounts for almost $7 billion of Medicare spending each year. 

Community Partners Addressing Isolation   

The 2022 Sentara Community Health Needs Assessment revealed that in 2020, nearly 23% of people living in the Greater Williamsburg area and surrounding localities was over 65, with growth projected to more than 26% by 2030. With such a substantial segment of our community classified as older adults, the Williamsburg Health Foundation is grateful for the many community agencies working daily to address isolation in older adults, including but not limited to the following organizations: 

The Peninsula Agency on Aging’s (PAA) mission is to advocate for policies and distribute resources to enhance the quality of life for older adults and family caregivers. PAA fulfills this commitment by offering in-home care, home-delivered meals, dining clubs, and transportation. These valuable services help older adults foster a sense of social connection while providing access to community resources. 

The R.F. Wilkinson Family YMCA has offered programs aimed at building a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all in the Greater Williamsburg area since 2007. Their Active Older Adults program focuses on providing older adults with opportunities to remain socially active and healthy. Through social activities, fitness, and volunteer programs, the YMCA keeps older adults active and engaged, reduces social isolation, and boosts the quality of life for older members of our community.  

Williamsburg Faith in Action (WFIA) unites transportation and volunteer support services for older adults in Greater Williamsburg. WFIA aids with transportation, shopping, caregiver support, and household chores. Wendy Satchell, WFIA’s Executive Director, recounted a story of a homebound WFIA care receiver who had been the primary caregiver for her husband until his recent passing. When a WFIA volunteer arrived to deliver her mail, she was overjoyed with the opportunity for conversation. Since her late husband’s care team no longer visited, she felt lonely and disconnected. Today, WFIA volunteers make regular visits and phone calls, providing companionship and connection. 

We All Have a Role to Play  

Like these organizations and many others working to increase social interaction and combat isolation among older adults in the Greater Williamsburg area, we as community members can make a difference. We can start by reaching out to check on the older adults in our lives and in our neighborhoods. Together, we can make progress in reducing social isolation in our community.

Grantee Spotlight: Enhancing Mobility with F.R.E.E.

Grantee Spotlight: Enhancing Mobility with F.R.E.E.

Mar 19, 2024 | Blog, Grantee Spotlight

Grantee Spotlight: Enhancing Mobility with F.R.E.E.

By

WHF Staff

As the weather warms and flowers bloom, Williamsburg area residents look forward to putting their coats away and heading outside to enjoy the beauty spring brings. However, for individuals experiencing mobility challenges due to health conditions or recent surgeries, navigating both indoors and outdoors can be challenging. The Foundation for Rehabilitation Equipment & Endowment (F.R.E.E.), a non-profit organization in Virginia, addresses mobility-related barriers by increasing access to mobility aids for those who qualify.

Between July 2022 and June 2023, the Williamsburg office of F.R.E.E. located in Sentara Circle provided 670 pieces of mobility equipment to 410 individuals in Greater Williamsburg. F.R.E.E. aims to ensure low-income uninsured or underinsured adults in Virginia have access to equipment that facilitates independence and maximizes quality of life by collecting, sanitizing, and distributing donated aids, such as wheelchairs, walkers, canes, and specialized equipment.

As spring brings more outdoor opportunities to the Greater Williamsburg area, we are grateful for the efforts of our partners at F.R.E.E. Their work enables our community to be a more accessible place for residents with mobility restrictions and aligns with the Williamsburg Health Foundation’s vision of individuals making healthy choices in a community with health opportunities for all. See https://www.free-foundation.org/ to learn more about F.R.E.E.

The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) is a non-profit private legacy health foundation with the mission to collaborate, innovate, and invest to impact systems that improve the health and well-being of individuals living in Greater Williamsburg. The Foundation was established in 1996 when the Williamsburg Community Hospital and Sentara formed a merger that included a provision for a new, locally organized, and managed Foundation to benefit community health. Since inception, WHF has awarded over $106 M in grants to improve community health and well-being.