A THANK YOU FROM BRIGHT FUTURES
Everyone has the capacity to give and to change the life of a child. Because of the incredible generosity of our community, we have been able to do just that: change lives. The gifts of our community have translated into impact for our schools and students. Thank you for giving Bright Futures the tools to make change.
"Bright Futures helps meet critical needs of students and their families —providing school supplies, clothing, and food—helping students focus on learning, not on where their next meal will come from. They are
vital to me as an educator so our students have the support they need to thrive emotionally and academically. Thank you for your student-focused mission.” – School Administrator
“I thank you very much for the help at this time. You are a blessing, I thank God for good people while my husband is unemployed.” –Parent
“There are many students who appreciate the food bags, I have one student that I know really depends on them. I often wonder without Bright Futures what this student and her siblings would do. Thank you Bright Futures for feeding our future.” - Teacher
“Thank you so much for making me feel valued and loved. Your gifts have brought so much joy to my heart.” - Student
HOW WE MAKE CHANGE
Bright Futures focuses on supporting the basic needs of students. By eliminating barriers to learning, students have a better chance at longterm success and a higher degree of self-worth.
FOOD PROGRAMS
Food access is the bread and butter of the Bright Futures program. We combat hunger with our Weekend Food Pack program, our in-school food pantries and with Emergency Food Boxes.
BASIC NEED ITEMS
We try to level the playing field for students, so that no child has to go without. We supply clothing, shoes, basic hygiene items and more so that kids can focus on being kids.
CLASSROOM SUPPORT
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Having the tools to learn are critical for our students and staff. We supply the items needed so that no student or classroom faces a barrier to learning.
FOOD PROGRAMS
Poverty and hunger are among the many challenges students can face on a daily basis and often become a barrier to their success in school. Bright Futures Frederick/Winchester aims to help families who experience food insecurity by offering weekend food bags, Emergency Food Boxes when a family is in crisis, and Summer Food Assistance when school food is unavailable.
FOOD PROGRAMS
IN-SCHOOL FOOD PROGRAMS
39,887
FOOD PACKS PROVIDED
Weekend food goes home with students on Fridays. Each bag contains 8 or more items, designed to be similar to what they would receive over two days in the cafeteria.
IN-SCHOOL FOOD PANTRIES
Emergency food access support is vital to student success. Bright Futures launched pantries for our students who may need support outside of the food pack.
PALLETS OF FRESH PRODUCE
Fresh produce is distributed at high schools, donated from area farmers, teachers and nonprofits. Some produce was even grown at the high schools and shared back to the school community.
FOOD PACK TEAMS
Volunteered at Bright Futures over the 2024-2025 school year
VOLUNTEERS
Came to pack as many as 1,554 bags of food a week for the Weekend Food Pack Program
LEARNING CENTER TEAMS
Volunteers from packed food and prepped bins for the Food Pack Program over the school year
EMERGENCY FOOD BOXES
Were provided by Bright Futures for students and their families in crisis
SUMMER FOOD
Hunger doesn’t take a vacation. Bright Futures drives family-sized boxes to all areas of the county and city to increase food access for our public school students.
CASES OF FRESH PRODUCE
were given out to foodinsecure students over the summer
2,325
FAMILY FOOD BOXES
were provided, benefitting 4,840 individuals, 2,598 of which were children
BASIC NEED ITEMS
When children’s basic needs are met they are more open to creativity and learning. When teachers don’t have to worry about trying to meet students’ basic needs, they are able to focus on their real job: educating our children.
have benefitted from clothing, shoes, and
"Bright Futures helps meet critical needs of students and their families —providing school supplies, clothing, and food—helping students focus on learning, not on where their next meal will come from. They are vital to me as an educator so our students have the support they need to thrive emotionally and academically. Thank you for your student-focused mission."School Administrator
HOLIDAY ASSISTANCE
Each year, Bright Futures partners with the community to make the holidays brighter for students in Frederick County and Winchester City Public Schools.
149 VOLUNTEERS
ensured that student holiday needs were fulfilled
1,484
HOLIDAY SPONSORSHIPS
were facilitated for students
CLASSROOM SUPPORT
2,023 TEACHERS
were directly supported with School supplies for their classrooms
Bright Futures directly supports the needs of classrooms and inschool clinics when supplies run low. Bright Futures works to make sure that all classrooms have the items they need and every school clinic is outfitted with critical supplies. From composition books to lice kits, Bright Futures delivers.
499
CLASSROOMS AND CLINIC NEEDS
were filled for the 2024-25 year
COMMUNITY CHAMPION
FIRST BANK
Bright Futures would like to spotlight the team at First Bank in thanks for their continued support. Thank you to the First Bank team for their volunteer hours, continued collections, and financial contributions.
“At First Bank, we believe that strong communities are built on care and connection. Though we are a business, our foundation is people - and there’s no greater way to show we care than through action. That’s why our employees eagerly step up when Bright Futures calls for volunteers. Whether it’s packing meals for students to take home on weekends or supporting other essential initiatives, we rally to ensure that no child goes without.
For us, it’s about more than just meeting needs; it’s about doing so with joy, understanding, and a willingness to see life through another’s perspective. Because when we come together to support our children, we don’t just change their future - we strengthen the future of our entire community.” – First Bank
SCHOOL HEROES
Volunteers make the Bright Futures mission a reality. This year, we would like to spotlight two volunteer teams, the James Wood High School Learning Center and the Sherando High School Learning Center. These two teams alternate warehouse tasks, unpacking and sorting donations and prepping the food pack program. Their tireless support ensures that our weekly food pack program is fully set up and ready to operate, week after week. Bright Futures would like to thank the students and the teachers from this group for their critical support of our programs.
THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS AND DONORS
FOOD PACK TEAMS
American Woodmark Corporation
Brucetown United Methodist Church
Christ Church of Winchester
City National Bank
Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church
FCPS Communications Department
FCPS Finance Department
FCPS Transportation Department
First Bank
Frederick County DSS
Frederick County Sheriff's Office Explorers
Frederick County Student Support Services
Girl Scout Troop 14009
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
John Handley High School Interact
John Handley Learning Center
JWHS Interact Club
Navy Federal Credit Union
Opequon Presbyterian Church
Advisors
Shenandoah Valley Westminster
Canterbury
Target North, Winchester
The Learning Center of JWHS
The Learning Center of SHS
The Village at Orchard Ridge
Walmart
Wesley Chapel
Winchester City Commonwealth Attorney
SPECIAL GIFTS AND PARTNERS
Abundant Life Church
Amherst Dental
Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
Blue Ridge Area Realtors
Blue Ridge Hospice
Bright Futures Advisory Board
Burnt Presbyterian Church
Cafe Del Sol
CCAP - Winchester
Chantilly Crushed Stone, Inc
Chick-Fil-A - Winchester
Christ Church
Christ Episcopal Church
Crumbl Cookies
Edward Jones, Winchester
FCPS Finance Department
FCPS Student Support Services
FCPS Transportation
FFA of JWHS, MHS and SHS
First Bank - Winchester
First Baptist Church
First Presbyterian Church
First United Methodist Church
Frederick County Sheriff's Office
Frederick County Sheriff’s Office
School Resource Officers
Greenwood Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company
Healthy Families NSV
Independent Order of Odd Fellows
JC Penney
Jimmy Johns, Rivendell Plaza
Kingspan Insulation
Lions Club
MARTIN'S
Menasha Packaging
Monoflo International, Inc.
Nibblins, LLC
Opequon Presbyterian Church
Pouring it Forward, Winchester
RPPI, Russ Potts Productions Inc.
Rubbermaid - Winchester
Sampson & Queen Trucking
School Custodians
School Liaisons
Sharp Shopper - Winchester
Shenandoah Traffic Club
St. Johns Lutheran Church
SU Student Athletes
SU Resident Advisors
Target - Winchester
The Evans Home
The Village at Orchard Ridge
The Winchester Star
Utz Distribution Center
Vibrant City Church
Walmart - Winchester
White House Foods
White Properties
Winchester City Fire Department
Winchester Greek Orthodox Church
Winchester Lion's Club
Winchester Rotary
Winchester Sheriff's Office
Woodbine Assembly of God Church
WPS Central Office
GENEROUS DONORS
Aaron J Rutten & Jamie L Rutten
Amy Shipp
Auto-Tech Service Center, Inc
Battery Mart of Winchester
Mrs. Beverley B. Shoemaker & Mr.
Steven E. Shoemaker
Blue Ridge Association of Realtors
Blue Ridge Grace Brethren Church
Women of Grace
Bridget Trenchard
Mr. Bruce & Mrs. Joanne Sheppard
Brucetown United Methodist Church
Buchbauer & McGuire P.C.
Burnt Presbyterian Women of The Church
Cafe Del Sol Winchester, LLC
Caren J. Werlinger & Beth A. Skinner
Carol & Jerry Kerr
Carolyn A. Budnyk
Cathy Burns
Charles W. Perdue
City National Bank of West Virginia
CMJ Investments, LLC
Constance Gregory
Damon DeArmet
Daniel Ritchie
David & Leisl Baldwin
David D. Bicking
Dermotology Associates, Inc.
Diana Anglero
Donna Leight
Doris J. Santmier
Doris Vanderpool
Edward Lee & Donna Lee
Elena Ripko-Siskind
Emily Strite Potts
First Bank
Frances C. Smith
Fraternal Order of Eagles - Winchester
Georgia Mae Russell
Mr. George & Georgia Yeatras
Harold Stubblefield
Hites Chapel United Methodist
Women’s Club
Jaclyn Ambrogi
James Carr
James Frost
Jamie Stuit
Jan R. Byrnes
Jennifer Hager
Jessica De Jong
Jessica Messick
Jessica Porter
John and Penny Merriner
Judy Moody
Julia Vettorel
Julie Hendren
Julie Kownacki in Honor of Susan Smith
Kara Lewis
Karen Kimble
Kay Butler Barefoot
Kim Neff
Kimberly Kern
Krista Schofield
Larry & Cynthia Quinn
Larry & Cathy Weiss
LeeAnn Porter
Linda Gibson
Linda M. Beavers
Luke Bell
Macedonia UMC
GENEROUS DONORS
Mark & Barb Rawlings
Market St. United Methodist Women
Mary Ann & Ray Doss
Mary Ervin
Mary Jo & Richard J. Till
Mary Nordman
Mary S. Pollock
Melanie Guidl
Millbrook High School
Michael & Ellen Wheeler
Michael A. Didawick
Mike & Sharon Stanfield
Mike & Julie Hendren
Millbrook High School Interact
Old Bethel Methodist Church
Opequon Presbyterian Church
Paul Eisenhower
Peter & Mary Lou Turner
Philip Haines
Prestige Title & Escrow
Quota International of Winchester
Rebecca White
Relief United Methodist Church
Richard Hutt
Ross Potts Productions, Inc.
Saira Blair
Sarah Burns
Sarah R. Murphey
Scott Dyke
Second Opequon Presbyterian Church
Shannon Morgan
Sharon Hanger Alexander
Sharp Shopper - Winchester
Sheila Betit
Shenandoah Sams
Shenandoah Traffic Club
Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative
Skadi Ventures CO DBA Kona Ice of Martinsburg
St. Johns Lutheran
Stacey Cowgill-Smith
Stephen Baker
Stephens City Lions Club
Sunnyside Presbyterian Church
Susan Brown
Susan Williamson
The Woltz Winchester Foundation
Theo Pritchard
Trinity Lutheran Church
Unitarian Universalist Church of The Shenandoah Valley
United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley
Wesley Chapel Church
White Properties
Woodbine Assembly of God
Winchester Lion’s Club
