18-04-2025
PALS supports the arts and a soup kitchen
17 years ago, Portsmouth Area Ladies started their nonprofit group to benefit the community and improve the quality of life for the residents in the Portsmouth area.
The premise for PALS was quite simple. The organization is a group of volunteers, all ladies, that carries out fundraising activities through events and then distributes that money to other organizations in the community for a variety of needs through grants.
From that simple promise, and a lot of hard work by members, PALS has donated over $200,000 back to our community. They recently committed more to two organizations many know: the Portsmouth Little Theatre and Rarden Daily Bread.
One of PALS first donations in 2025 is to the Portsmouth Little Theater for a mural restoration project. $400 was approved and the funds will be used to restore the mural on the exterior of the south side of the historic PLT building facing 52 East. The mural reads "Portsmouth Little Theater, Inc." but is faded beyond recognition today. The project will return it to its original glory.
PALS also donated $5,000 to the Rarden Daily Bread soup kitchen that will go towards food and for meals. According to the Rarden Daily Bread, funds will be used to buy ingredients not available from the Freestore Food Bank to feed low-income individuals in the community. Rarden Daily Bread began serving meals in 2020 during COVID. Since then, 150,000 meals have been served. On average, 100 plus meals are served each day – 365 days of the year.
'I feel they were both needs within the community,' PALS President Teri Webb stated. 'PLT brings entertainment that would not be found otherwise because the signage they requested funding to redo helps people from other areas find their location. Rarden Daily Bread has been providing meals to their community since 2020 on an all-volunteer basis. Providing the grant will allow them to provide 1250 more meals."
PALS' mission statement follows, 'Portsmouth Area Ladies, Inc. will engage in fundraising events and activities using volunteers to support charitable needs and organizations that will improve the quality of life and the changing needs of the residents in Portsmouth and the surrounding area. PALS will cooperate with other not-for-profit organizations when appropriate and address the needs of community children which are not being met by other organizations. The Portsmouth Area Ladies Inc. is a 501C3 organization'
The non-profit spends the year fundraising through reverse raffles, purse bingos and more, to raise funding that they then divert to other non-profits who offer social programming, community development and more. They also offer scholarships, assist in the MLK Breakfast, and offer a Christmas benefit each year.
Webb explained that she has been involved in a capacity of ways from the start; from being there as a volunteer during its founding, to officially joining over ten years ago.
Webb is the patient accounting coordinator at Southern Ohio Medical Center, where she has worked for nearly 30 years. Her time has been spent working closely with her predecessor, Tami Davis, who is also an SOMC employee.
'PALS to me is a good feeling. It is a good feeling because it is a good group of caring women from the area who want to better the community. These women work hard to improve the Portsmouth area,' Webb explained. 'I stay involved because of the work we accomplish and the people we meet. Over the years, we've granted so many good causes, have helped so many during Christmas, and have offered scholarships. It is wonderful seeing everyone come together to do what we do.'
PALS is an extended network of driven locals. Some of them include Tami Davis, Teri Webb, Shawn Jordan, Linda Woods-Jones, Debbie Smith, Patty Tennant, Carol Davis, Therese Egbert, Tess Midkiff, Kay Bouyack, Phyllis Fried, Rhoni Maxwell-Rader, Lynsi Eason, Jill Arnzen, Linda Woods-Jones, Ruth Ann Logan, Betty Kennedy, Julia Wisniewski, Toni Dengel and more.
To learn more about PALS, their fundraisers, and future grant opportunities, visit
