I’ve always wished I had joined the Girl Scouts…and after visiting the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast, I definitely regret not doing so.

Much more than cookies and badges (all though a big part), Girl Scouts are so much more. Girls are challenged and encouraged at all age levels to reach for and achieve their best.

More than 16,000 girls are apart of the Colonial Coast, which is 1,500 troops and groups. Volunteers serve more grades K-12 in a 27,000 square mile area of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.

With so many activities and programs all year round-there is truly something for every type of girl at any age! From trips to Europe, learning CPR, canoeing to music.

One unique feature at their corporate location is the “Outback”, a nature preserve behind their main building. Here the girls experience many of their programs and even earn badges. There’s even a lookout and fitness trail.

They say, “It’s your world, change it.” These Girl Scouts definitely have every opportunity to make a difference in many different ways.

To learn more about the programs and other wonderful activities they have click here.

“Picture the world through the eyes of a Girls Inc. girl. She belongs to a community that empowers her to pursue the biggest dreams she can dream. She is uplifted by the strength of a national organization that is committed to inspiring the leaders of tomorrow.”

Girls Inc. in Portsmouth is specifically designed to meed the needs and interests of at risk girls (and boys till 12) in the community. But from the looks of the happy faces and confidence there is no ‘at risk’, just kids learning to be strong, smart, and bold.

Through programs they try and reach out to girls to educate them on the options they have, and that being successful is attainable, and they can beat their circumstances.

A few of the programs include focusing on preventing adolescent pregnancy, economic literacy, and media literacy.

Preventing pregnancy empowers girls to discover responsible behavior and positive decision making. Economic literacy teaches skills and self confidence to learn how to contribute to the economy, how to budget, save and make informed financial decisions. Media literacy is aimed at shedding light on magazine and self-image marketing campaigns to increase confidence and overcome gender stereotypes.

They even offer Saturdays so girls have a place to go all week long to be engaged in a positive environment.

I’ve never had to experience going hungry and had no idea of just how many struggle with hunger on a day to day basis until I visited the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia.

When you hear that they push over 12 million pounds of food each fiscal year, the thought of how hungry some are sits in your stomach.

Essentially, the Foodbank is a warehouse or “bank” where recovered and contributed food is collected, sorted and distributed to over 325 agencies including church pantries and area Kids Cafes who then disburse or prepare and serve the food to those in need.

The Foodbank serves a 3,500-square-mile target area including the cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Franklin and Virginia Beach as well as the counties of Southampton, Northampton, Sussex, Isle of Wight and Accomack.

The Foodbank is a very visual place when you walk around, pallets and large shelves stocked with food to the ceiling. That being said and seen you would think they had this great reserve of food all year around but their saying is “Pounds in, pounds out.” Their goal is to  go out of business- to solve the basic need of food for good.

To help accomplish this mission they have a number of programs to help push the food to those in need. Mobile pantries travel to communities in need to come to the people that may not be able to come to the warehouse.They partner with Churches, Fire Stations, and other non-profits to host the pantries and help get the word on in their communities.

Two very special programs are targeted to children, who may have working families that struggle from month to month and the Kids Cafe and Backpack program help alleviate some of the in between.

Kids Cafe® is a national program founded by Feeding America and administered locally by the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia. It is a place where children through 18 years of age can come to receive free, nutritious evening meals in a safe, supportive environment. A Foodbank Nutritionist oversees the program, prepares the menus and provides nutrition education to the children.

Currently, there are more than 25 Kids Cafe locations in Chesapeake, Franklin, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk and the Eastern Shore. Additional locations will open as funds become available. These locations provide almost 275,000 meals to approximately 4,700 children annually.

The BackPack Program is designed to meet the needs of hungry children at times when other resources are not available.

Bags/backpacks filled with food that children take home on weekends. The food is child-friendly, nonperishable, and easily-consumed. Bags/backpacks are discreetly distributed to children on the last day before the weekend or holiday vacation.

Besides food, the Foodbank is always in need of volunteers. They have very flexible times, and are always looking for anyone willing to lend a hand. Click here to get involved.

By Suzanne Higgs

When people think about what constitutes a traumatic event, the mind often wanders to things like losing a loved one, a car accident or an earthquake that changes a country. Many never think of a visit to the dentist.

Imagine-if you’ve lived your whole life and were unable to visit a dentist due to lack of access, no health care or other circumstances. You’re now an older adult with diabetes that has caused your teeth to come loose, and five of those in the front must be extracted. Luckily, you’ve found a resource to help you at no cost, but after the procedure you must return to work because you can’t afford to miss a day even though your mouth is numb and bleeding.

Sheree Holloway has lived through this experience, and is one of those included in the 30% of people in Hampton Roads that do not have access to any dental care.

On September 13, 2010 at Union Mission in Virginia Beach together with two donated navy dental vans more than 100 homeless men and women were able to finally receive much needed dental x-rays, cleanings and extractions.

Landmark Communication approached UWSHR wanting to make a direct impact with their donation, and dental health was the front runner as an unmet need in South Hampton Roads. UWSHR then turned to their partner agency, Access Partnership to help implement an Oral Health Initiative. Through this program, there will be outreaches to bring dental services to citizens in need, and who may not have any other opportunity.

Access Partnership is a community collaboration that focuses on strengthening the depth and breadth of existing programs, implementing new services for identified gaps in primary care and chronic illness prevention as well as help to coordinate care for medically indigent families.

Union Mission has nine different outreaches in three cities. They offer everything from emergency shelters, substance abuse rehabilitation, and children’s summer camps. Their mission is to serve the least, the last, and the lost in our community.

By Suzanne Higgs

Driving down Virginia Beach Blvd, it might be hard to spot The Judeo-Christian Outreach Center that is surrounded by a charming white fence and covered in shade.

When you pull in you might see families, elderly men and women, or a few 20 somethings gathered around a set of tables. This is one the many programs at JCOC. With their partnership with the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia, they have daily food deliveries that are available to those who need it-no judgment, no income check, just help.

Ruth, Tony, and Kirk were nice enough to show me around the entire facility and tell me about the different programs they have. Along with a main office, JCOC has a dining hall, and two dorm style shelters for men and women.

The JCOC has a Three Dimensional Approach to help empower homeless families and individuals to recover from crisis situations and return to being self-supporting, productive, and independent members of our community. (www.jcoc.org)

• Prevention: Feeding the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless a free, wholesome meal once a day year-round. This allows savings on food expenses and allows those who are homeless access to good food.
  
  Since the beginning more than a half a million free meals have been served and nearly 10,000 residents have been housed at the center.
• Crisis Management: Providing shelter for those in crisis who wish to change their homeless lifestyle and become productive citizens.
  
  50 emergency shelter beds are available 365 nights per year for a average of 18,250 shelter stays per year. 
• Empowerment: Providing vocational, educational, nutrition and life skills to help prepare families and individuals to improve their income-producing skills and achieve greater self-sufficiency so they can live independently.  

They also have a JCOC Thrift Store that is open to the public, but also serves as an employment opportunity for many of the residents.

It’s amazing to think of those who might otherwise go hungry have the chance to eat a good healthy meal-and the food is good, lunch was delicious.

Ruth, Tony and Kirk couldn’t be more excited about a build that is the works as we speak! Ruth diligently sought a grant that would allow them to build a permanent structure so they could house more residents. Check out the pictures and check back for updates as the project continues!

If you need emergency help, you can contact them at 757-491-2846.