A north Jefferson County ministry will soon be able to help countless more people thanks to the donations of local businesses and churches.

Several groups rallied to donate $16,000 for an ultrasound unit for the North Jefferson Women’s Center in Fultondale.

The Knights of Columbus State Council 10354 is matching that, bringing the total donation to $32,000.

Nancy Shaffer, director of the women’s center, said the ultrasound will be a tremendous aid in the center’s mission to help pregnant women decide to keep their babies rather than abort them. She said that when women see ultrasound images of their unborn children, they are 80 percent more likely to have their babies.

“We need an organization like the women’s center in north Jefferson County,” said Father Michael Deering, pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Gardendale and St. Henry Catholic Church in Warrior.

He said many high-school students get pregnant every year, and some of them choose abortions.

“Medical technology such as this helps women make the decision to save the lives of their children,” Deering said.

The Knights of Columbus State Council will present its check to Shaffer during the women’s center’s annual banquet, set for Oct. 10, 6 p.m., at the Gardendale First Baptist Church south campus.

Churches that donated include St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, $8,000, and St. Henry, $2,000. Business donations include Total Pain Solutions, $2,000, and Grabows Outdoors, $2,000. In addition, the local Knights of Columbus donated $2,000.