The NRV TimeBank is a system of giving and receiving volunteer time by sharing talents and skills with fellow community members. The TimeBank has great potential to strengthen the communities of the NRV by facilitating a free exchange of talent and services. Members can create an account at nrv.timebanks.org and then post skills they are willing to share and help they need. Their 2016 Community Impact grant will help expand their community outreach and marketing efforts.

The Plenty Farm and Foodbank has launched the”Food Matters” project, a broad collaborative community effort designed to address the barriers to home cooking and food preparation among residents of Floyd County. Their 2016 Community Impact grant will be used to survey clients, in order to better understand their barriers to accessing and cooking nutritious foods and to design and implement a series of cooking classes based on lessons learned.

The Floyd Center for the Arts launched ‘ArtWorks for Us’ a public art project that connects area artists with residents and visitors by highlighting the art and culture of the New River Valley. Public and private sites can apply to host a work of art while artists can apply to provide a work of art. A volunteer committee is leading the effort of matching sites with artists, as well as facilitating and helping organize the installation of the work. Their 2015 Community Impact grant is being used to support start-up costs associated with this new project.

Pulaski Grow combines workforce readiness training with hands-on job experience for youth inside a working aquaponics business. Youth are able to participate in five levels of training gaining skills in interviewing, resume writing, product research and development, marketing, and customer service, in addition to aquaponics growing. Once basic skills are mastered, trainees can move on to management and entrepreneurship training, as well as internships with local businesses and agencies. Their 2015 Community Impact grant is helping them purchase needed material, equipment, and supplies to increase their sustainability.

Beans and Rice, Inc. is engaging new volunteers in meaningful service activities to increase economic opportunity, improve K-12 success, and improve food security in Pulaski County and the City of Radford. Their Volunteer Development program is working to educate and develop service leaders as K-12 homework tutors, small business and financial literacy mentors, food reclamation and weekend backpack volunteers, and downtown revitalization project volunteers. Their 2014 Community Impact grant was successfully used to increase the capacity and the sustainability of their volunteer program.

Habitat for Humanity of the NRV launched a Critical Home Repair program with the support of their 2014 Community Impact Grant. Working with local contractors, civic groups, and volunteers, Habitat now provides home repair services to low and moderate-income individuals and families. Over their 3 year grant period, they were able to provide critical home repairs to over 25 families utilizing the help of over 280 volunteers.

Micah’s Backpack, a program of St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, used their 2013 Community Impact grant to purchase and refurbish a school bus to deliver nutritious weekend meals, snacks, and books over the summer. This program now serves more than 200 Montgomery County children in need every summer.