Healthy Families Rappahannock Area

Project: Empower Her: Nurturing New Mothers Postpartum

Requested Amount: $50,000  

Description: The Empower Her project is dedicated to addressing the needs of mothers during their Fourth Trimester. 

Funding Purchases:  

Postpartum Packages – essentials (pads, nursing supplies, toiletries), information on the importance of care once home. $10,000

Self-Care kits – relaxation teas, candles, pampering products $10,000

Diaper Bags – filled with basic needs for newborn plus resource guide to link families to services in their community $10.000

Infant Carrier – promoting safety of newborn and essential for postpartum care $12,500

Administrative Support – filling bags, data collection, etc. $7,500

STEM Education and Innovation Center (STEM EIC)

Project: Technovation Girls - Fredericksburg, Stafford, Caroline County

Requested Amount: $50,000  

Description: Calling all girls who want to be changemakers in their communities using technology! STEM EIC is starting a new Afterschool Program to empower girls to become leaders and real-world problem solvers

Funding Purchases:

provide resources to FXBG Hugh Mercer, Walker Grant and James Monroe to cover, after school maker space materials, field trip to VTech Thinkabit Lab, AI/Coding mid-journey event

regional pitch event (food, venue, marketing materials), T-shirts for participants, advertisements or signs, equipment (i.e. computers), etc.

Virginia Community Food Connections

Project: 2024 Women, Infants, and Children Veggie Voucher Program

Requested Amount: $50,000  

Description:The WIC Veggie Voucher Program is a wonderful way for families participating in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) federal nutrition program to access more fresh, local, and whole food. Each week, families can present their WIC card at one of six regional farmers markets to receive a Veggie Voucher worth $15 for FREE fresh fruits and vegetables. In 2023, the Veggie Voucher program served nearly 500 households (nearly 8,000 individuals, predominantly women and children ages five and under). With your support, together we can double this impact for women and girls most vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity.  

Funding Purchases:This funding covers the cost of 3,330 WIC Veggie Vouchers for fresh fruits and vegetables valued at $15 each. These vouchers are provided by VCFC at 6 farmers markets for FREE to vulnerable families receiving WIC benefits, mostly women with young children. When these vouchers are used by families at the farmers market to choose produce, this funding serves the dual purpose of creating additional income for more than 20 local farms.  

More Information:

Virginia Community Food Connections’ WIC Veggie Vouchers Program provides families with $15 in FREE fruits and vegetables every time they show their WIC card at one of 6 area farmers markets. The WIC Veggie Voucher program is designed for families who qualify for and receive benefits from the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program administered by the Rappahannock Area Health District. Women are disproportionately vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity and more likely to sacrifice the quality of their own food to ensure that their children do not experience hunger. Women who are pregnant and postpartum are especially vulnerable to nutrition insecurity which can have long-term effects for mothers and children alike. Programs like WIC and SNAP are part of what is known as a "nutrition safety net" for families at greatest risk but are not always enough. By providing additional resources to incentivize fresh fruits and vegetables, VCFC can contribute in a significant way to the unique nutrition safety net that exists within our region by not only supporting women who participate in our program but also local women farmers and vendors at the market. Strengthening our local economy by supporting women to buy and eat locally grown food is a benefit to everyone in our community.