The Women’s Leadership Guild of Pullman Regional Hospital has donated $22,000 to 11 nonprofit organizations in Washington as part of its Annual Giving for Excellence fund drive.

Each of the 37 women in the Guild makes a financial contribution and those contributions are pooled together in two separate funds.

Half of the funds are donated to Pullman Regional Hospital. The other half funds grants of equal value, said Stephanie Pierce, assistant director of development for annual giving.

“We advocate for women and children’s health,” Pierce said. “The Guild is a group of really passionate women.”

The funds allocated for Pullman Regional Hospital will specifically go toward cardiology care, she said.

The money allows the hospital, partnered with Palouse Heart Center, to regularly treat patients in Pullman rather than having patients travel to Spokane for treatment, Pierce said.

Nonprofit organizations in Pullman can apply for grants from June until August. Of the 13 agencies that applied this year, 11 received grants of $2,000 dollars each, she said.

“This is only our fourth year in existence,” Pierce said. “We started out with a small goal initially, and as the Guild grows, the fund grows with it.”

Pullman Schools Pantry Program is one of the nonprofits that received a grant. The money helped the organization establish food pantries in all Pullman schools.

The pantry was created by mothers in Pullman and over 257 school children are fed through the program, Pierce said.

Another agency to receive a grant was Friends of Hospice, she said. The money will help train women as caregivers for the elderly. Those women will be able to be certified in home care aide and work at end-of-life care facility Serenity Life.

“These nonprofit agencies are filling a need that exists in this community,” Pierce said. “It’s exciting for the Guild to be involved in this.”