Around Jefferson County, there are four organizations that focus on providing food to families and individuals. Read the Full Story >>
Jefferson County Community Ministries
Concert Supports Community Service Work
The annual Love Thy Neighbor Community Concert will take place on Saturday, April 13, 6-8:30 pm at the Ranson Civic Center. Read the Full Story >>
Local Spirits Bright For The Holidays
The holiday festivities seem particularly energetic this year. Perhaps it was the unseasonably warm weather for the parades — or that our pandemic-related anxieties of the past several years have cooled. Read the Full Story >>
Help For Rent, Mortgage & Utility Payments
individuals and families throughout West Virginia, but there are grant programs available to help keep people in their homes. Read the Full Story >>
Helping People Get Back on Their Feet
Jefferson County Community Ministries is more than a food pantry. The organization helps clients find their path to stability with a strategic offering of services. Read the Full Story >>
Local Giving
mily and friends this holiday season, we can also pause to lend support to the organizations and individuals who are helping those in need here in our own communities. Read the Full Story >>
Celebrate By Giving
The holiday season can be a joyful time of year, where friends and family come together to celebrate and give thanks. It can also be an opportunity to give back to your community and help others. Consider supporting the mission of one of the many local charitable organizations that assist community members in need. Read the Full Story >>
Stocking the Shelves
When The Observer spoke with Greg Petersen of the Jefferson County Community Ministries (JCCM) for our July 2020 issue, the Food Pantry operated by JCCM in downtown Charles Town was in the early days of navigating the pandemic and the staff was anticipating a sharp increase in demand. We recently touched base with John Cloyd, Greg’s colleague at JCCM to see what they experienced over the summer and what they expect this winter. Read the Full Story >>
The Challenges and Hope of a Food Pantry
For community services organizations, the pandemic & economic crisis have forced drastic changes to operations and funding - at the same time they are called to meet needs on a scale they’ve never experienced. Read the Full Story >>
Charles Town Comes to Terms with the Loss of Justice Taylor
In the early hours on October 5, as the morning sun emerged through the clouds on an overcast fall day, the body of Justice Taylor was found in the loading area at the rear of Jefferson County Community Ministries (JCCM) on West Washington Street. Slumped in his wheelchair, it was a harsh end to a Read the Full Story >>
This Time of Year, Charity Begins at Home
At this time of year, mailboxes are full of solicitations for charities—and for good reason. If you’re looking to get involved locally on whatever level you can manage, we’re spotlighting below a handful of the many worthy local organizations in the Panhandle doing great work to help those in need year-round, and especially throughout the winter months. Read the Full Story >>
Two Public Art Projects Set to Transform Downtown Charles Town
Mural, mural on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? This story may not include a fairy tale about a wicked witch or a poisonous apple, but it does involve a world-renowned artist and a community pulling all its resources to boost, attract, and celebrate art, culture, and heritage in downtown Charles Town. Read the Full Story >>
Breaking Bread and Barriers
Do you know where your next meal will come from? Many Jefferson County residents don’t. But a group of engaged citizens works hard every day to make sure they do. Jennifer Prusha is one of those lending a hand. Read the Full Story >>
Stepping In and Reaching Out
Never having been without the security of having a place to live, it's difficult to imagine what it means to be homeless. Those who have been less fortunate seem to be too easily assigned responsibility for their circumstances. Outstretching a hand or even trying to find a warm place to sleep are often met with stigma and assumptions about life decisions of the individual in need. The necessity for empathy and care seems to sometimes be the last priority within these interactions. Read the Full Story >>