August 4, 2025

Partnering for Progress: 66 Express Community Spotlight

Highlighting Local Organizations Driving Positive Change in the Region

PWC Community Foundation

Giving PWC’s Kids the Nutrition and Education They Need To Succeed

Communities thrive when its kids get the opportunity to excel. By providing Prince William County’s kids with nutritional assistance and educational readiness, the PWC Community Foundation is helping ensure that the future of Prince William County will be a thriving one.

One of I-66 EMP’s soundest partnerships, PWCCF addresses the needs of our community’s children through a variety of high-impact programs. From its annual Back-To-School clothing and supply events to its CHOW Wagon nutrition initiative, the foundation fosters support from residents and the private sector, exemplifying its motto to Live Local, Give Local.

Fully supporting that sentiment, I-66 EMP regularly teams up with PWCCF to partner on programs that produce tangible results in the community – including hosting a Peanut Butter & Jelly (PB&J) Food Drive during the month of May 2025, which amassed more than 400 jars of peanut butter and jelly to benefit underprivileged kids in the county through the summer months.

“Summertime can be very difficult for kids from disadvantaged families, because often their school lunch is their most reliable and nutritious meal. That’s why the PB&J Drive held by our friends at I-66 EMP is such a tremendous benefit,” said Dr. Vanessa M. Gattis, president and CEO of PWCCF. “Hunger never takes a break, so it’s wonderful to have partners like I-66 EMP supporting our community all year long.”

An Established History of Giving Local Together

With our headquarters centrally located in Manassas, for I-66 EMP to partner with PWCCF is a natural pairing.

The builder and operator of the transformative 66 Express Outside the Beltway – which serves Prince William County from Gainesville to the Fairfax County border – has partnered with PWCCF since 2024, when I-66 EMP became an Ally Sponsor of the foundation’s Back-to-School Community Event. Making a contribution of $5,000, the roadway operator showed its support for the annual event, which increases school readiness by providing students with essentials like backpacks, supplies, and nutrition, health, and wellness resources, including dental screenings and vaccinations.

I-66 EMP repeated as an Ally Sponsor of the Back-to-School Community Event with another $5,000 contribution in 2025.

“Every year, the Back-to-School event benefits thousands of local families as they prepare to send their kids into the new academic year,” Dr. Gattis said. “And we couldn’t do it without the vital support of partners like I-66 EMP.”

In addition to supporting PWCCF’s efforts to improve students’ readiness for the new school year, I-66 EMP partners with the foundation’s Combating Hunger On Wheels (C.H.O.W.) Wagon initiative to fight hunger throughout the community. In December 2024, the company donated $3,000 to aid the program in the delivery of healthy, nutritious meals to Prince William County kids who most need them.

The previous year, the CHOW Wagon served more than 194,000 meals to nearly 20,000 local families.

“We couldn’t ask for a more synergistic partnership than the one we share with the Prince William County Community Foundation,” said Nancy H. Smith, corporate affairs director for I-66 EMP. “Their work supporting public education and fighting food insecurity aligns perfectly with our mission to help improve the quality of life in the communities we serve. Partnering with PWCCF epitomizes one of the mottos we work by: #66GivesBack.”