BEST LOCAL FUNDRAISING EVENT
Empty Bowls Soup
Most Nominated Category Best Community Champion 1,211 Most Nominated Contender Tom Bloom for Best Politician 375 Most Voted Category Best Community Champion 2,558 Most Voted Contender (in all of BOM22) Tom Bloom 1,454 Most Contenders Nominated (in all of BOM22) Best PreK-12
Luncheon Empty Bowls Monongalia supports 24 partners in its work to keep members of the Mon County community from going hungry. The nonprofit holds its popular Soup Luncheon, among other events, to continue its work. The goal this year? Fully fund all grant requests it receives—and Empty Bowls needs all of our help. Keep an eye on the organization’s Facebook page for details and for opportunities to donate. 7 Rousch Drive, 304.241.5510, @emptybowlsmon on FB
Close Runner-Up Holy Pursuit’s Dream Foundation’s Night of Dreams holypursuitsdreamfoundation.com
BEST CHARITY/ NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION Pantry Plus More When Roark Sizemore and Tom Bloom started Pantry Plus More in 2016, they couldn’t have foreseen the organization’s impact. Six years later, the all-volunteer organization distributes more than 350,000 pounds of food each month, serves thousands of students, and makes a significant dent in food insecurity. It reaches those in need through weekly mobile food giveaways, in-school pantries, an annual backpack program, and its Fresh Start Health and Wellness Program that distributes 8,000 pounds of food to families each month. It’s hard to think about where Mon County would be without this two-time BOM-winning nonprofit. 9 Rousch Drive, 304.282.1123, pantryplusmore.org, @pantryplusmore on FB
BEST POLITICIAN Tom Bloom It’s impossible to list all the ways Monongalia County Commissioner Tom Bloom, Best Politician for the fourth time in BOM history, has impacted Morgantown. A few of his most recent accomplishments include the creation of the Mon County Mini Swimmers program, work on Hazel House of Hope, participation in the establishment of a unified EMS service from competing units, work with the Tourism Advancement Fund, and efforts to lower property taxes for the third year in a row.
Contender toWatch The Ranch Community Store 255 Don Knotts Boulevard, 304.381.2606, ranchstore.org, @ranchstorewv on FB
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