Charity Furness
Mom to Timmy, age 7
and Julie, age 4
Warrenton, VA
Nominated by Megan O.

Charity is the executive director of
the Fauquier FISH food pantry in
Warrenton, VA, and founded the
Weekend Power Pack (WPP) program
in March of 2014. WPP distributes
backpacks of food over the weekends
to children in Fauquier County Public
Schools at risk of hunger when
access to school breakfast and lunch
is unavailable. Charity volunteers
40-plus hours every week with the
program, ensuring 150 children and
their families are fed weekly. She
coordinates with school counselors,
picks up and hauls bulk orders of
groceries each week, delivers bags of
food and leads a dedicated team of
volunteers. She provides a wonderful
example of selflessness to her own
children, as well as to those who
are fortunate enough to volunteer
alongside her.

watching. We all had a blast and my
son still talks about how much fun he
had going over the ramp with me.

What’s the best parenting
advice you’ve ever received?
I was told to trust my own
instinct by our family pediatrician.

It seems like simple advice, but
everywhere you turn someone
is telling you how to react or
respond to your own child. I’ve
learned to accept the advice,
learn from it and go with what I
know is best for my children and
our family.

How do you think your children
would describe you?
My 4-year-old daughter thinks my
favorite things to do are laundry and
cleaning the kitchen.

how my actions will change it.

Describe a favorite mom moment.

What advice would you give to new
or expectant mothers?
Find a village. Moms groups and
playdates are great ways to build a
village. How has motherhood changed
your outlook on life?
Motherhood has made me
responsible; not just for my children but
for the world they are growing up in. I
think a lot more about the future and
We were traveling and got caught in
a snow storm so we took advantage
of a local sledding hill. I didn’t know
the other parents so I was standing at
the top of the hill alone taking it all in. I
noticed most of the parents were doing
the same, standing around watching
their children have fun. There was
one dad having a great time sledding
with his kids. I decided I would rather
have fun and make memories with my
children than stand on the sidelines
Who is your role model?
I have so many role models but I
often look to my grandparents. They
have a lifetime of experiences to learn
from and have lived amazing lives. They
cherish God, family and friendships.

What goals do you have for
your children?
My children are still young so my
goals for them are not to be a doctor or
a lawyer. My goals for them are to learn
from their mistakes, to be a good friend
and to understand and communicate
their feelings.

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