The Posey Grant will provide funds for protein and produce for Shepherdstown Shares Food Pantry’s clients. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — After spending years working for nonprofits in the Washington, D.C. area, Julie Reynes retired in Jan. 2024 and moved to Shepherdstown.

Soon after she settled into retirement, however, Reynes learned about Shepherdstown Shares and its food pantry, and realized that she could do a lot of good for the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the local residents in need that it serves, by volunteering her professional skills to the organization.

“I just thought I’d share my skills!” Reynes said. “I have a long nonprofit background on the executive level.”

One of those highly polished skills, was her grant writing abilities, which have already made an incredible difference for the organization. Her efforts recently secured a sizable grant for Shepherdstown Shares.

“We just received a check, a grant, for over $14 grand from Mountaineer Food Bank!” said Shepherdstown Shares treasurer Mark Kohut.

The funds came from the $10 million in Posey Perry Emergency Food Funds, which were divided between West Virginia’s two food banks — the Mountaineer Food Bank, in Gassaway, and Facing Hunger Foodbank, in Huntington — last summer. 2024 was the second-straight year that millions of dollars in funding for West Virginia food assistance programs had been approved by state lawmakers, and the first time any of that money was granted to an organization in Shepherdstown.

That funding was finally received at the end of January.

On Jan. 28, Reynes joined Shepherdstown Shares Food Pantry’s outgoing director, Cari Simon, and ingoing director, Janelle Hoover, to deposit the $14,305 check at Jefferson Security Bank.

“We just got a huge grant, which just became available to us, and that’s thanks to our grant writer, Julie. She helped me tremendously with that, because she knew what the right wording was!” Simon said. “It’s a substantial amount that we have received. It’s to be used for produce and protein only. So, we still need everything else from the community! We don’t want people to stop giving to us because we got this big grant.”

Simon noted this kind of funding will be especially useful to have during the winter months, since the price of produce is higher outside of the growing season.

“We can buy fresh produce and more milk and more meat and more eggs — eggs are especially expensive right now!” Simon said. “That is really helpful.”

Simon said she was pleased to be able to retire from her position with the knowledge that the work of the Shepherdstown Shares Food Pantry will be able to provide healthy options to its clients for many years to come, in large part thanks to Reynes stepping into the role as the organization’s first volunteer grant writer.