Health and Hunger in Southern WV- 2023 Report

2023 REPORT

Health and Hunger in Southern West Virginia

Table of Contents

1 Health and Hunger in Southern

Acknowledgments/Introduction

3 A Word from the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington County: After the end of COVID-era benefits, 4 Boone people in Boone County still struggle with hunger by Sarah Davis

8 Cabell County: Children’s food insecurity in Cabell County, West Virginia by Brea Smith

12 Kanawha County: Health and hunger in Kanawha County after the COVID-19 pandemic by Victoria Ware

16 Lincoln County: Lincoln County’s fight against child hunger in the wake of COVID by Matthew Shaffer

20 Logan County: Child hunger in Logan County

by Evan Green

22 Mingo County: Food insecurity in Mingo County after the pandemic by Alaina Laster

26 Resources 28 Meet the Student Reporters BC About Us

Acknowledgments We sincerely thank the faculty and staff from Marshall University’s W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications for working with us on this project. The students did a great job, and we’re thankful for their time and effort.

Thanks also to community stakeholders who were interviewed for this project. We appreciate their time, expertise, and all that they do to keep their communities healthy.

We’re grateful to the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington for its financial support of this project and for investing in community work that helps build a more sustainable food system in rural West Virginia.

Thanks to Cameron Keyser for serving as our Project Director.

Thanks to Carol Geletko for layout and design.

The views expressed in the following articles do not necessarily represent Think Kids, sponsors, or any participating individuals.

Introduction This is our fourth and final report for the Health and Hunger Project — one of Think Kids’ first projects when we launched in 2020. We started this project with the hopes of connecting healthcare providers to local food resource providers. But instead, what we found was a concerning lack of infrastructure connecting food pantries, stakeholders, and the communities they serve.

When healthcare providers don’t know where services are or what services are lacking, how can they connect families to resources? Or advocate for better services?

For the last four years, we’ve spoken with community stakeholders across the Pallottine Foundation’s service area, learning from their insight and lived experiences.

They’ve articulated their challenges, successes, and recommendations for improving how our state addresses hunger, and we’ve worked to amplify these thoughts to the rest of West Virginia — particularly lawmakers. We’ve met great people and learned so much. I hope many will remain friends years after this project ends.

It seems fitting, as we wrap up this project, to work with young reporters from Marshall University

who have an interest in journalism and public policy. Perhaps they’re too old for us to call them “kids,” but their work represents the spirit of our organization — allowing younger generations to share their perspectives and learn more about communities across our state. I hope they learned more about the counties they covered, and I appreciated the opportunity to work with them.

During the pandemic, America’s safety net programs kept many of us afloat — programs like the child tax credit, continuous Medicaid coverage, a federal moratorium on eviction, and, importantly,

food assistance. West Virginia participated in many USDA waivers and flexibilities. With limited interaction with each other during those many months, it was hard to get a clear understanding of what food insecurity looked like.

But now, the smoke has cleared.

One of the last COVID-19 emergency funding programs for childcare programs ended in September. I think that is it, the last of supplemental funding. So it seemed like an important time to revisit some of the stakeholders we had spoken to in the last few years to see what the pandemic had been

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like for them, and especially, what hunger looks like right now in their neighborhoods, post-COVID. Our team assigned each student reporter a county, gave them a spreadsheet of the names and contact information for people to interview, and offered a few links to data sources to learn more about food insecurity in the county they were covering. Each reporter had about a month to do the work and submit a draft to us. We then worked with them to edit their stories, collected photos of interviewees, and uploaded each story to the Think Kids website.

When it was ready, we pushed each story out on our social media sites.

At times, I was amazed at how some articles fostered lengthy dialogues online about community challenges and suggestions for improvement.

I hope you read each article and see the similarities and slight variations as to how each county is addressing food insecurity postpandemic, as well as how each stakeholder perceives the effects of the pandemic on the food resource system. I’m thankful that our funders agreed to provide them with a modest stipend for their work. They earned it! And I hope they remember this project and this critical issue as they pursue their professional aspirations.

-Kelli Caseman Executive Director Think Kids

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A Word from the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington Though federal COVID-related emergency assistance has largely been rolled back, scars from the pandemic remain and continue to limit children’s access to nutritional foods they need to thrive. The latest Health and Hunger series from Think Kids sheds light on the ongoing struggles West Virginia families Janell Elizabeth Ray, CEO and communities face with fewer resources, higher food costs, and cuts to crucial safety net programs. We must continue to work together to address the root causes of food insecurity and to find new ways to help those in need.

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After the End of COVIDEra Benefits, People in Boone County Still Struggle With Hunger Where the average meal costs $3.09, Boone County is no stranger to food insecurity. According to Feeding America, 74% of the county’s population qualifies for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

by Sarah Davis

Many of the communities in Boone County are considered food deserts, which means that large areas of residents have very limited accessibility to nutritious, affordable foods.

According to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Boone County only has five grocery stores that participate in the WIC program: a Kroger in Danville, Little General Store in Comfort, Par Mar in Jeffery, SaveA-Lot in Danville, and The Country Store in Seth.

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These five stores serve the 22,059 people who reside in the county.

Among them, 17.8% of the population lives in impoverished conditions.

Many of Boone County’s residents rely on government programs and community resources to keep them afloat, both in health and in navigating the food deserts they call home.

One asset that Boone County has is West Virginia University Extension Services. In the Boone County office, a variety of services are offered to those in the community, including the Family Nutrition Program.

Heather Cook, who serves as a virtual educator for the program, says that the primary focus is teaching adults and children the importance of nutrition.

“We talk a lot about physical activity and why it is important to move our bodies,” Cook said. “We talk about healthy choices; why it’s important to make them.”

In order to receive programming from WVU Extension, at least 50% of school students must be eligible for free or reduced-price meals. In October 2020, all eleven schools in

Heather Cook

the county were above 50%, the lowest being 78% at Scott High School.

Six of those schools were 100% in need with all children in those schools qualifying for free and reduced meal benefits.

In the county’s low-income elementary schools, children have the opportunity to experience a farmer’s market. The children typically receive anywhere from five to 15 pounds of fresh produce at these markets.

“Thankfully, we’re seeing a lot of changes within dollar stores where they’re having refrigerated and frozen sections,” she said. “Some are starting to provide produce that’s fresh.”

where they come from, the different nutrients and vitamins that come in them and why they are so important to our bodies.”

With the market, Cook teaches a companion curriculum that educates kids on where their fruits and vegetables come from.

It’s called the International Junior Master Gardener® Program.

When it comes to accessing these nutritional meals, Cook says that the communities of Boone County struggle to find them. In our conversation, Cook described her previous work in Whitesville.

“It also gives them an opportunity to grow their own food as well,” she said. “If we’re talking about sweet potatoes, we look at the origin of

“When I first started going to Whitesville, there was one grocery store; it was a Save-a-Lot, and it soon shut down after I started

working,” she explained. “That little community either had to travel to Raleigh County – 25 minutesto go to a Walmart, they had to travel into Madison, which was over 25 minutes, or they had to go out through Marmet and go to Charleston, which would have been over 25 minutes.”

She described Whitesville’s situation as a food desert with a lack of public transportation.

However, in recent years, a few dollar stores have populated the 5

area. Cook says that the new food sources are improving their nutritional values.

“Thankfully, we’re seeing a lot of changes within dollar stores where they’re having refrigerated and frozen sections,” she said. “Some are starting to provide produce that’s fresh.”

During the coronavirus pandemic, Cook and the WVU Extension Services collaborated with food pantries to combat food insecurity in the county.

“I think the pandemic was a huge hit and huge loss to everybody,” Cook said.

In addition to WVU Extension and the family nutrition program, Boone County residents can utilize Cornerstone Family Interventions, a resource center made up of two outreaches: the Cornerstone Child Advocacy Center and the Parents as Teachers program.

Monica Ballard-Booth, the center’s executive director, says that they see hungry children and families in both programs.

“That’s something that we do track,” she said. “We do see neglect as well, including kids who talk about being hungry.”

When it comes to combating hunger, Cornerstone collaborates with other organizations to provide sufficient assets to the people of Boone County. During the initial wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Cornerstone remained open.

Meetings with children and their families were held virtually and food insecurity became more evident.

With the pandemic officially ending in May 2023, the federal government started cut back on their food assistance programs, meaning those who received extra

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Monica Ballard-Booth

food stamps and other resources now have to adjust back to prepandemic funds.

“We did see a lot of people during the pandemic who had access to more food stamps,” she went on to say. “Those were increased for a lot of people. I think some people became reliant on it and now that they’re getting cut, they’re used to spending more.”

Some of the families receiving additional SNAP funding, according to Ballard-Booth, did not use them towards nutritional food for their children.

“Even though they were getting food stamps, we still had children telling us that they weren’t being fed,” she said. “So, we knew that there were resources coming in for those families, but they didn’t always spend those on the children.”

They also saw a lot of working families struggle with the rapid increase of food prices.

“I think more of the people who faced hardship with that were those people who were working more and then they saw all those prices go higher and higher,” she said.

“Those people struggled more than the ones who maybe needed the food stamps.”

Cornerstone has a diaper pantry, a place where those in need can get diapers and formula.

The center would like to have an on-site food pantry, but the refusal of funds has made that difficult.

“We don’t have funding. Actually, we had requested funding a couple of months ago,” Ballard-Booth said.

She also noted that many Boone County residents do not have access to public transportation, making it increasingly difficult to get the healthy resources residents need for themselves and for their families.

In Boone County, 2,940 residents (13.3%) are considered to be a part of the food insecurity population.

According to Ballard-Booth, the State of West Virginia has launched a new database system called ‘Find Help’ that the center can utilize to track their client’s referrals.

“We make every effort to make sure that they all get referrals,” she said.

“That’s really important that they get that.”

In Boone County, 2,940 residents (13.3%) are considered to be a part of the food insecurity population.

They did not receive funding for a prospective food pantry.

Despite that, the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation provided emergency grants to the center during lockdown. The center also facilitated support groups, a service that they still offer.

Ballard-Booth pointed out the lack of homeless and domestic violence shelters in the county.

Many of the people in Boone County rely on government programs and community resources to keep them afloat, both in health and in navigating the food deserts they call home. Community resources are available to help — resources that were available pre-COVID — but the same historic challenges still exist, like poverty and food deserts. In the end, COVID relief funding was a temporary boost but was never enough to meaningfully address the persistent obstacles in addressing food insecurity in Boone County.

“That was also a problem during the pandemic; when a lot of people, you know, needed some help and they couldn’t always get that in the county that they lived in,” she explained.

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Children’s Food Insecurity in Cabell County, West Virginia Hunger is a language everyone on Earth understands, uniting us all.

The sense of hunger links every human being, regardless of where we came from or who we are and reminds us of our shared humanity.

It’s undeniable that all 8.1 billion people who walk the earth need food, so why isn’t it accessible to all?

Why does food insecurity still exist in 2023?

by Brea Smith

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Kelli Williams

The United States Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as “the lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life.” That means having a wellbalanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein.

Kelli Williams is a professor of dietetics at Marshall University, has an extensive background as a dietitian, and has worked in various settings. She is also involved in Marshall’s Nutrition Education Program, which aims to instruct students of all ages about nutrition.

Williams said “[Food] is fuel for our bodies, and we want to be able to operate at our best mentally and physically. We have to be properly fueled. It is kind of like how a car has to have gas to go.”

Food insecurity was already a worldwide challenge before COVID-19, affecting millions of individuals and families.

However, the problem of food insecurity quickly worsened with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns, supply chain disruptions, and economic downturns resulted in widespread job losses and financial insecurity, putting more individuals into insecure food situations.

In 2020, Feeding America reported that 3,590 children in Cabell County struggled with food insecurity.

However, in 2021, this number surged to an alarming 12,010, highlighting the urgent need for sustained efforts to address the growing issue of childhood hunger in the region.

“There have been research studies that show that kids who have a proper diet or kids who eat breakfast in the morning are going to perform better at school.”

— Kelli Williams The significant increase in that number can be attributed to the school closures. When schools closed their doors in March 2020,

children lost access to two guaranteed meals each day, five days a week.

Regardless of age, it is crucial to have access to food, but it is essential during formative years for child development. “There is a big need for good nutrition at those ages for good nutrition at those ages for cognitive abilities for their growth and development, both physically and intellectually, Williams continued.

“There have been research studies that show that kids who have a proper diet or kids who eat breakfast in the morning are going to perform better at school.”

It’s challenging to concentrate on anything when you haven’t eaten; your mind becomes consumed by thoughts of hunger when you haven’t had an opportunity to eat.

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Amy Gannon, a professor in dietetics at Marshall University, focuses her research and expertise on childhood obesity, nutrition education, and nutrition across the lifespan. Her specialization lies in addressing childhood and adolescent obesity.

Travis Austin

Travis Austin, Director of Food Services for Cabell County Schools said, “If I have a kid who’s starving in my room, how does any of the content that I’m trying to teach them matter? How’s that even important?

Their basic needs aren’t being met; you know, if you’re hungry, that’s really the only thing you’re thinking about.”

While interviewing Austin, he shared a story from his time as a teacher: “It was about ten years ago before Christmas Break and the last day was just a makeup day. So I’m thinking in my head, there’s going to be like, twenty kids in the whole building.

From my classroom, I could see the cafeteria and there were a lot of kids.

I thought about why they were here.

They don’t have to be here today. I thought there were at least two to three hundred kids in school that day and that was more than I expected.

Then I thought some of these kids are coming to eat.”

In addition to children finding it challenging to concentrate at school due to hunger, they face an increased likelihood of repeating a grade, difficulties in socializing with peers, and potential developmental setbacks in areas such as language and motor skills, all without considering the potential for future medical issues.

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“The more nutrient-rich somebody’s diet is with fruits and vegetables and whole grains and lean meats, the overall healthier their bodies will be so that long term helps to prevent chronic disease. It helps to prevent diabetes and heart disease,” Gannon said.

Amy Gannon

According to Gannon, fatty foods rich in saturated fats, as well as foods high in refined grains such as white rice, pasta, snack cakes, and cookies, have been consistently linked to the gradual accumulation of excess calories and the development of health issues, including obesity, diabetes, and ultimately, chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease.

When considering the undeniable importance of providing kids with nutritious meals, we must also face the stark reality of what occurs when school is not in session, whether it’s for the weekend, during the summer break, or due to unexpected closures like those

caused by a pandemic. During these periods, the safety net of school meals, which countless students rely on for essential nourishment, becomes temporarily unavailable.

When these resources become unavailable, individuals often turn to various assistance programs such as backpack programs, community donations, food banks, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to address their food needs.

“If I have a kid who’s starving in my room, how does any of the content that I’m trying to teach them matter?”

During the pandemic, those receiving SNAP benefits saw a 15% increase in their benefits, which equals an extra $95 a month. In addition to the rise in SNAP benefits, initiatives like the backpack program, where schools would assemble nonperishable food items in backpacks for students to bring home, played a significant role in providing support. Travis Austin is also responsible for ordering food supplies for Cabell County Schools’ backpack program and mentioned, “I try to get non-perishable items, things that are easy make kids like easy mac and cheese, beef ravioli, but I try to look for stuff that isn’t very labor intensive. So, if a kid was home and didn’t have somebody to make some form that they could make a do a number of cereals, cereal bars, fruit juices or fruit cups.”

While programs like SNAP and the backpack program still provide meals for children, communities struggle to meet the demand, especially now that the pandemic is officially over.

With the official end of the pandemic declared on May 11, the additional SNAP benefits were reduced.

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Health and Hunger in Kanawha County After the COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated food insecurity and healthcare issues nationwide, impacting people’s lives across demographics and age brackets. Kanawha County is no exception.

by Victoria Ware 12

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definitely tell how that little bump in SNAP benefits gave people more ability to stretch their dollar through the month. So, I wasn’t quite as needed. But, in March, when they took those away, my pantries have doubled.”

Vandalyn Justice

increases or emergency allotments of SNAP to combat food insecurity and assist impoverished people.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in the states with emergency allotments, overall poverty was reduced by 10 % and child poverty by 14%.

But these additional benefits ended in March 2023. This, along with record-level inflation, has resulted in increasing food hardship.

This reduction in governmental assistance has particularly impacted individuals in Kanawha County.

It has a food insecurity rate of 11% coupled with 67% of the population residing below the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) 200% poverty threshold.

In 2022, the number of children living in poverty within the county amounted to 23.7%. During the height of the pandemic in 2020, the number rose to 26%. Thanks to additional COVID-related benefits, it decreased to 21% in 2021. Now, the number of impoverished children in the area is again on the rise.

During the pandemic, people struggling with hunger in Kanawha County received temporary relief through additional SNAP benefits.

Congress enacted temporary

Vandalyn Justice is the Social Service Program Coordinator of the Salvation Army in Charleston, West Virginia. She said that since the additional SNAP benefits were severed, she has seen a noticeable increase in people using their food pantry’s services.

Concerning food insecurity, she said, “At first, it was there, definitely — especially for our homeless people and seniors because a lot of them either couldn’t get out or were scared to get out, especially when stuff started shutting down. So, it was harder for people to get food. Then, in the middle — toward the end — when everyone was getting supplemental SNAP benefits, my food pantries went down a lot. So, you could

In Kanawha County, children whose parents lack secure employment increased from 13.4% in 2021 to 14.7% in 2022. Public schools within the county operate on the Community Eligibility Provision Program to provide students with no-cost breakfast and lunch.

Student access to free food was essentially cut off during quarantine, but now that they’re back at school, kids in Kanawha County’s public schools have access to healthy meals.

In 2022, the number of children living in poverty within the county amounted to 23.7%.

During the height of the pandemic in 2020, the number rose to 26%.

Thanks to additional COVID-related benefits, it decreased to 21% in 2021.

That’s not the case with some of the county’s older residents. With food costs rising 6.7% from last year and COVID on the rise in communities across the country, seniors are starting to struggle with the same challenges — protecting themselves from virus spread while accessing community resources.

Faith in Action of the Greater Kanawha Valley is a volunteer program that offers free assistance to people aged 60 and up.

The group provides its clients with transportation to medical 13

Jennifer Waggener

appointments, help with grocery shopping and minor home repairs.

Jennifer Waggener, the Executive Director of Faith in Action, said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults could not visit their physicians and needed food assistance.

“You couldn’t get them to doctors’ appointments because doctors’ offices were shut down, and we couldn’t take them to the store anymore because that was the worst place for them to be,” Waggener said. “We had to work around and develop programs that would enable us to still continue to assist them and make sure that their needs were met despite the pandemic.”

The older population’s increased vulnerability to the virus made venturing out in public to get food and water more risky. Volunteers with Faith in Action tried to mitigate the impact and made it so those 60 and older didn’t have to expose themselves to COVID-19. Waggener said that conditions have improved since people can go out in public and not isolate themselves.

However, she noted a lack of doctors in Kanawha County. This puts the older population in the area in a difficult position.

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“We now have fewer doctors in the area,” she said. “One of the real significant issues I’ve seen here recently is patients having to wait for hours in a waiting room for an appointment. A lot of these folks are vulnerable and have chronic health issues and have no business sitting in a waiting room for four hours with sick people waiting to see their doctor for a scheduled appointment. That’s just become more and more the reality and that’s pretty frustrating.”

Since the pandemic, an issue that has cropped up nationwide is a shortage of doctors. A report by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation stated that the COVID-19 pandemic put immense stress on healthcare workers and led to burnout and trauma. The physician shortage predated the pandemic, but the conditions that those in the medical field endured further amplified the problem. This issue is something that people in Kanawha County are facing.

“Some social service providers kind of stopped providing services,” Jake Van Horn, Community Impact Officer of Cabin Creek Health Services, said. “It’s very difficult to find providers right now. I think everybody is trying to staff up.

So, it’s hard to find providers like physicians, or nurse practitioners or physicians’ assistants, it’s also really difficult to find kind of necessary staff positions like medical assistants or social workers.” Van Horn said that since the pandemic, for a portion of the population, a mistrust of the healthcare system has arisen. The pandemic not only posed a threat to physical health but mental wellbeing has also been impacted.

“I think there are a lot of people that became more avoidant during the pandemic,” he said. “I think our political rhetoric has caused

mistrust of healthcare for some folks. I think psychologically, a lot of folks now realize that the system can be broken. Whether or not that’s a social statement or a healthcare statement, I’m actually not sure, but the pandemic tested about every system we have. So, I think folks are struggling.”

The pandemic complicated some individuals’ perceptions of the medical field due to misinformation regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.

Van Horn said that in the first four months of the vaccine rollout, Cabin Creek Health Systems administered 26,000 COVID-19 vaccines.

However, the number of people getting the vaccine dropped after the initial rush.

Jake Van Horn

continue to affect all demographics, making people apprehensive about accessing needed community resources.

“We now have fewer doctors in the area,” she said. “One of the real significant issues I’ve seen here recently is patients having to wait for hours in a waiting room for an appointment.”

“That first four months was a real push,” Van Horn said. “That’s a lot of vaccine for an agency like ours to put down. So, a lot of vaccines went out. But basically, if you didn’t get your vaccine in that first few months, you’re not going to.”

The extended period of isolation dealt a heavy blow to mental health across all generations. Waggener said that the quarantine negatively affected the older population in Kanawha County. With people not leaving their homes and being without visits from loved ones, she said she’s sure that it significantly impacted their health. The pandemic had a particularly lasting effect on children’s well-being. The Children’s Hospital Association found increasing rates of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and suicide among kids and teens.

The consequences of prolonged quarantines, social distancing, and isolation procedures may

The COVID-19 pandemic essentially brought the world to a standstill.

The systems that people relied on were halted, and those who were already struggling with health and hunger were put in a more precarious position. Kanawha County’s food insecurity levels improved due to governmental assistance, but once the help was removed, many people were back in the same place. The shortage of medical staff since the pandemic is also affecting the care people in Kanawha County are receiving.

The pandemic did not solely pose a risk to people physically, but also mentally. Children are still reeling from the effects of isolation and developmental delays.

Officials and community leaders in Kanawha County continue working to improve health and hunger conditions after COVID-19. Whether inflation subsides, COVID-19 infection rates fall, or individuals renew their trust in healthcare and social support systems, remains to be seen.

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Lincoln County’s Fight Against Child Hunger in the Wake of COVID West Virginia has fought a long-standing battle against poverty, especially childhood poverty. The state ranks among the highest in the nation, with a childhood poverty rate of 25% in 2022 and a food insecurity rate of 14% — both rates that have been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

by Matthew Schaffer

This is no exception for the children of Lincoln County. With a population of only 19,901, the county faces a 15.2% food insecurity rate and a childhood poverty rate of 33.2% in 2022. This marks a significant increase from just a year earlier when the childhood poverty rate was 25.9%, with 920 children in the county now facing food insecurity, affecting 20% of those under 18 years old.

These increases are related to the expiration of several pandemic-era social benefit policies that helped lift many families out of poverty. These policies included the child tax credit, 16

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stimulus checks, rental assistance and, most importantly, expanded SNAP benefit allotments. In fact, according to a report by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, these COVID-era policies helped reduce childhood poverty to only 7.8% nationally in 2020.

Congress adopted the extended benefits to ease the economic hardships placed on families following the mass layoffs during the COVID-19 lockdowns. In 2019, prior to the pandemic-era policies, Lincoln County faced a childhood poverty rate of 39.1%, with these extended benefits lowering the childhood poverty rate by 13.2%.

However, since the expiration of these policies in March 2023, many Lincoln County families have been forced to rely on alternative resources such as food drives and pantries to help feed their children.

Kerri Smith, a Lincoln County High School Social Worker and former foster care worker, helps organize food pantries, food drives, and weekend and holiday bags for students at the high school.

“Once the benefits had stopped, I think our students and our families are in more need than ever,” Smith said.

Kerri Smith

“We’re lucky that during the pandemic we had food boxes that we gave out to everybody. It did not matter your income or anything. If you need food, we got it for you.”

“Once the benefits had stopped, I think our students and our families are in more need than ever.”

Smith works with local community organizations, churches and charities, such as Facing Hunger Food Bank, to get donations for students, which can include anything from food to clothing and hygiene products.

“We have churches that will send us monthly donations. We do a big food drive at LCHS where our students bring things so that they understand that not everyone has what they need, but probably 50% of my kids need food from the pantry, so I don’t expect them to bring stuff in.” Smith said.

As beneficial as these drives have been to the community, Smith believes that there is a still stigma surrounding kids needing assistance, with some not even realizing they’re in need of assistance.

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programs, and that’s just one of many continuing trends that small communities face when addressing food insecurity.

“We’re lucky that during the pandemic we had food boxes that we gave out to everybody. It did not matter your income or anything. If you need food, we got it for you.”

“They’re not ones to go out and ask for help,” Smith said, “You have a bigger gap there of kids who are poor and don’t realize it or are in need.”

Smith also cites a lack of resources as another problem she faces in feeding students with donations, and volunteers are always needed to create these food boxes and help with the food drives.

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As the pandemic hit, many local businesses, including grocery stores, were forced to shut down, creating greater distances between families and places where fresh food is available. The expansion of food deserts is a historic problem in the area, exacerbated by strained economic conditions.

David Roberts

“If anyone were to sponsor a Thanksgiving box, it would cost $60 or a Christmas food box can cost $70,” Smith said. “I will always take volunteers to help [feed the students].”

A lack of community resources is detrimental to creating local food

“You have several food deserts within Lincoln County where there are many miles between grocery stores,” David Roberts, WVU Extension Agent for Family and Community Development, said.

“For the most part, access to food is pretty limited.”

While inflation has been directly linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting supply chain shortages, wages are also an issue that is driving food insecurity and the importance of SNAP benefits to Lincoln County families, according to Roberts.

In the county, the median household income is $46,683, well below the national average of $74,580, and while the cost of living is among the lowest in the nation, inflating prices still make food access an issue for lower-income residents.

“Potentially, a family of four could make $17 dollars an hour and still qualify for SNAP benefits because they’re still living below the federal poverty level and there’s not a lot of jobs in Lincoln County that will pay $17 an hour,” Roberts said.

Roberts, like Smith, believes that the negative social connotations of receiving assistance is another factor that is stopping kids from receiving the aid that they need.

As grocery stores and access to fresh food continue to get harder for many families in Lincoln County, inflation is causing prices to continue to increase for groceries as well.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food prices are predicted to increase by 5.8%, with groceries estimated to increase by 5.1%. The inflation means that those who qualify for SNAP benefits may not see their money go as far.

“You look at the average SNAP benefits for a family of four is about $650 a month, but that’s not extra money,” Roberts said. “That comes out to about $4 a day, and you’re not getting a very nutritious meal for $4 a day.”

“We need to take away some of the stigma from the people that need and receive assistance,” Roberts said.

Ultimately, Roberts says that the situation in Lincoln County will continue unless there are investments in the economy and a cultural shift around education.

“There’s a lack of value of education which bleeds over into the workforce, its bleeds into jobs coming in, it bleeds into businesses relocating. The generational lack of value of education and the huge export of young adults out of West Virginia continues to keep the cycle going,” Roberts said.

the state and county, with Lincoln seeing a population decline from 20,459 people to 19,901 people, or a difference of 558.

“Our communities seem to stay on a band-aid type of wheel, where we go right to the brakes before we fix it instead of any sort of investment,” Roberts said. “We need investment and opportunities for anything for young adults to do.”

“You look at the average SNAP benefits for a family of four is about $650 a month, but that’s not extra money,” Roberts said.

“That comes out to about $4 a day, and you’re not getting a very nutritious meal for $4 a day.”

Ultimately, Lincoln County, like much of West Virginia, faces many challenges that will require cooperation between communities and the officials that represent them. One of the highest priorities is ensuring that the children in the communities are provided access to food. While social benefits such as SNAP are certainly helping, the increasing inflation and lack of economic development within the state indicate that there is much more to do to curb childhood food insecurity.

He also stated that the continuing population decline of Lincoln County and West Virginia is contributing to the slow recovery in 19

Child Hunger in Logan County With child hunger rates rising nationwide following the end of the Public Health Emergency, rural areas such as Logan County, West Virginia, which were already vulnerable to food insecurity before the pandemic, are feeling the effects of increased demand and limited supply.

by Evan Green

According to WV Kids Count, 36.9% of children in Logan County are in poverty. This is an 11.5% increase since 2019. A large portion of this increase can be attributed to the end of the Public Health Emergency and diminished funding.

Food banks, pantries, and public health services across the county, propped up during the pandemic by government aid money, have now been cut off from those funds. As people across the county have lost their boosted SNAP benefits due to the health emergency’s end, many

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2023 REPORT: HEALTH AND HUNGER IN WEST VIRGINIA

of these food pantries have seen higher numbers than before the pandemic.

“The numbers do keep rising. We have people that come regularly, but then every time we do it, it’s nothing for me to register 10 to 20 more families each time, new people,” Chad Akers, President of the Hungry Lambs Food Initiative, said.

Akers has worked at Hungry Lambs since 2019, just before the pandemic. Hungry Lambs is one of the largest food pantries in Logan County, and its numbers have only risen since the end of the pandemic.

Chad Akers

“I think we’re doing the best we can to manage the problem. I do see a rising right now. Like I said, the last two times we have done our distribution, I don’t want to say record-highs, but it’s been the highest amount of families we’ve served in a year or more,” Akers said.

“We do have a lot of children that we have to help. I’m looking at my report from last month… just Logan County alone, we served 286 families, and there was approximately, within those households, around 156 kids under the age of 17.”

Michael Tierney, founder of Step by Step, a community and leadership organization that operates in Logan and Lincoln County and parts of Charleston, also pointed out that

strain on Logan County, an already impoverished community with a high rate of child hunger before the pandemic.

While the community of Logan County fights to heal from the effects of the pandemic and feed those in need, uncertainties over funding continue to threaten the area.

According to WV Kids Count, 36.9% of children in Logan County are living in poverty.

“There’s a rally that needs to happen of people who think this is an issue.

Not just for children, but for food insecurity as a whole,” Tierney said.

Michael Tierney

Aside from the typical increase in numbers that Hungry Lambs experiences during the holidays, the last two distributions had some of the highest numbers the organization has ever seen, which becomes even more concerning considering their dwindling support from the government.

“We probably aren’t giving out the amount that we were able to give out because, like I said, we were getting so much free. Now that that’s not coming in, we are having to watch what we spend,” Akers said. “Just because money’s coming in right now doesn’t mean we are going to continue to get those donations.”

While Hungry Lambs support people in need of all ages in Logan County, Akers was able to shine a light on some of the numbers surrounding child hunger in the area.

many programs haven’t been able to continue past the pandemic.

“One of the things that greatly saddens me is the continued dwindling of summer food programs,” Tierney said.

Many of these children who lost their primary caregiver during the pandemic are now experiencing hunger at a higher level. Whereas before the pandemic, they could rely on someone to ensure they had access to nutritious food, either by purchasing it or collecting from food pantries, many of them now have no one in their lives to make sure they don’t go to sleep hungry.

People being cut off from additional federal benefits due to the end of the Public Health Emergency and a lack of government support for local food banks has put an incredible

The future of child hunger in Logan County remains bleak. The area has historically struggled with food insecurity, and the decrease in support will only exacerbate existing issues. Still, community members working with food pantries are doing everything they can to manage the problem and feed the most vulnerable members of the county.

Carolyn Farley, a representative for Step by Step, summarized her experience working on the ground facing child hunger in Logan County.

“We served 110 children in the month of September. The families in Logan County are having a very hard time keeping up with the cost of living when we are already poverty prone anyways… We have so many grandparents raising their grandchildren due to opioids and now fentanyl. It’s a very sad situation.”

According to WFXR, West Virginia currently has 86,000 children living in poverty, which makes it the highest rate of child poverty in the U.S. 21

Food Insecurity in Mingo County After the Pandemic Mingo County is one of the poorest counties in the nation; 85% of the population qualifies for SNAP, which is formerly known as food stamps and has a 200% poverty threshold. Measures to ease food insecurity during the pandemic did nothing to increase this number.

by Alaina Laster

Mingo County is in a food desert.

This means that the opportunities to buy groceries are extremely low. Rebecca Hooker, Director of Christian Help Inc. Mingo Country, said that from where she lives, it is a 35-mile ride to the nearest Walmart, which she is able to make as someone with a vehicle, unlike the majority of Mingo’s population.

Rebecca Hooker

Government aid is something that has made all the difference for Mingo County. But recently, Hooker has been struggling to gain access to $12,500 of federal aid that has been waiting for them for months.

“Okay, so people went hungry. So that’s just, I believe, the correct word

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2023 REPORT: HEALTH AND HUNGER IN WEST VIRGINIA

used in the situation is malfeasance.

Nobody was stealing, that money didn’t go to a poor project, it just sat there,” said Hooker.

It was last year when Hooker was notified that the county would be receiving $50,000 in federal grant money. This money would be split up among the county food pantries and other similar organizations, but Hooker said it came with some “caveats.”

Hooker was told that the funding was for capacity building and not supplies. This means that the money could fund storage and renovations but could not fund food.

“Here’s the problem. There are capacity grants that have been given for food pantries in this area; we don’t need another refrigerator. We don’t need another freezer to feed. I have an example situation; a friend who runs a very large distribution in Wayne County actually knows a church that received a capacity grant, I think, for $5,000, and they got this huge industrial freezer. They can’t afford the electricity or run it.

That’s — so we don’t need capacity grants, we need food,” said Hooker.

Hooker’s organization has received capacity grants in the past, and at this point, they do not have any more room within The Christian Help Center for more storage. It was not until months later that they were informed by federal agencies that they were now allowed to use funding for food.

But then, there was another hurdle, Hooker said. She was tasked with writing bids on how that money would be used within the different grocery stores. There is no competition in Mingo County because they are in a food desert.

There is one Walmart, and one more expensive Food City, which at the time was closed for the next eight months for renovations.

With the help of her “trusty calculator,” Hooker logged on to the Walmart website to determine what foods she could get with the allotted $12,500. Afterward, she repeated the process with Food City. After doing all the calculations, she had the idea that the best way to spend this money would not be in a grocery store, but through organizations like Feeding America or Facing Hunger Food Bank. With their buying power, they could purchase fresh produce for the people of Mingo. However, all of this took time.

“What they should have done is written Christian Help a check for $12,500,” said Hooker.

In the end, that is what happened.

Eight months later, on September 8, 2023, Hooker was given the check made out to Christian Help, and now, things are moving quickly. She is in contact with Food City, who is already working to deliver a truck of food.

“Here’s the problem.

There are capacity grants that have been given for food pantries in this area; we don’t need another refrigerator.

We don’t need another freezer to feed. I have an example situation; a friend who runs a very large distribution in Wayne County actually knows a church that received a capacity grant, I think, for $5,000, and they got this huge industrial freezer.

They can’t afford the electricity or run it.

That’s — so we don’t need capacity grants, we need food,” said Hooker.

The people of Mingo are lacking the resources they need to live.

Christian Help is the only walkin food pantry within a 100-mile radius and is open Monday through Friday. Hooker said meeting the community’s needs is not an easy task, but they are able to provide much more than just groceries.

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“Think Goodwill, the best Goodwill you’ve ever been in, and everything is free. And when you walk in the store, that –that is the clothing area.

Also, sundries, knickknacks, books, shoes, children’s clothing, some bed linens, things like that. We have a separate room, an offshoot that has hygiene products…baby supplies, including diapers and wipes, shampoo, thermometers, things like that. Also, a little formal closet for young girls who might be looking for a dress or something to go to a homecoming or prom,” said Hooker.

Christian Help is not the only organization working toward providing better for Mingo County residents. There’s Mingo County STOP Coalition (Strong Through Our Plan), WVU Extension’s Family Nutrition Program, and a few more.

But there’s still not enough supply to meet demand.

The pandemic affected everyone, and Mingo County was by no means spared. In some ways, the pandemic provided relief, Hooker said. Those in the community received an increase in government assistance. The U.S. Census Bureau reported last year that COVID relief efforts and others were seen to sharply reduce childhood poverty.

As the Associated Press reported in May, most extra money has disappeared. During the pandemic, SNAP recipients had their benefits boosted through an Emergency Allotment program. Now, people are left struggling.

Access to food in counties like Mingo is the perpetual challenge. Even though there are organizations like Christian Help and WVU Extension, people lack both transportation and employment opportunities.

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2023 REPORT: HEALTH AND HUNGER IN WEST VIRGINIA

The increased SNAP benefits were a lifeline for people in Mingo County trying to purchase groceries, said Hooker. Now those benefits have returned to pre-pandemic levels, but Hooker said that grocery prices have not returned to pre-pandemic rates.

“Products that used to be $1, and like in the dollar aisle, are now $1 and a quarter or $1.50. So that’s 25% or 50%. I don’t care how you slice it.

And it was difficult. For a lot, a lot, a lot of people good news in all of this was that I did receive SNAP benefits.

Yes. So those are increased. And

“Think Goodwill, the best Goodwill you’ve ever been in, and everything is free.”

I do know that that was a lifeline that saved many, many people from going hungry,” said Hooker.

The Department of Labor Statistics reported that food costs are up 6.7% over last year. According to Feeding America, the current average meal cost in Mingo County is $3.14, and the annual food budget shortfall is $2,827,000. This shortfall is the total annualized dollar amount the foodinsecure people within the county would need to be able to meet their food needs.

Public school students do not pay for meals while in school in Mingo County. The security of a few square meals during the day is something that the pandemic took away from them. Hooker said she heard many stories of children finding their way onto the bus in the morning, because they know that is the only way to guarantee they will have food.

Courtney Harrison is a Health Educator with the WVU Extension’s Family Nutrition Program. Her job pre-pandemic included going to schools directly and teaching kids about nutrition and physical activity.

During the pandemic through, her focus shifted more toward getting food to where people needed it.

“We would deliver a lot of things, that’s because transportation is a pretty big deal around here, too. A lot of areas are in food deserts. We don’t have a lot of grocery stores — only grocery store in Mingo County is in Gilbert… a lot of people kind of live pretty far away from a grocery store, so it’s making sure that people had access to food,” said Harrison.

Today, that goal of providing to those who cannot reach a grocery store remains, but it also includes providing fresh produce to as many people as they can. Recently, WVU Extension was able to have the “Kids Market at The Store” program implemented in local stores.

This gave children aged 2-17 the opportunity to receive $30 in tokens and shop around for fresh produce.

Everything available was grown locally by West Virginia Farmers.

Each time a child went shopping, they earned a sticker. The program began in 2021 and hopes to expand throughout the state.

Harrison said that even knowing how difficult things are for so many families, “one of the bright spots for me is just really seeing how these organizations can come together and just how much love and support we have for each other around here.”

Sherry Gross

Sherry Gross, the Lead Prevention Coordinator with STOP Coalition, said that during the pandemic, it was difficult for them to organize any kind of event, even virtually.

“We did a lot of Zoom trainings,” said Gross. “It was like the kids were bored. You know, even though we were getting to see each other, we lost that human connection, I guess…I feel like this school year, we are just now getting to back to some type of normalcy.”

Mingo County has faced many struggles as one of the poorest counties in the nation. The people of Mingo are dependent on inconsistent government aid.

Nonprofit organizations provide what they can. These organizations are the only thing keeping thousands of people from going hungry. At the end of the day, these resources are vital to sustaining Mingo County. As Sherry Gross said, “Okay, we’re still here. We’re still doing this. The kids need this.”

In June, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the end of the pandemic had food insecurity rates rising nationwide, specifically with inflation rising in August. The pandemic not only made it difficult for people, specifically kids, to find the resources they needed physically, but also mentally.

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Resources The U.S. HHS Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) advises the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on policy development in health, disability, human services, data, and science; and provides advice and analysis on economic policy. The ASPE leads special initiatives; coordinates the Department’s evaluation, research, and demonstration activities; and manages cross-department planning activities such as strategic planning, legislative planning, and review of regulations. Integral to this role, the ASPE conducts research and evaluation studies; develops policy analyses; and estimates the cost and benefits of policy alternatives under consideration by the Department or Congress.

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. The Charleston, West Virginia command serves Boone, Clay, Kanawha, Logan, Mango, Putnam and Roane Counties.

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2023 REPORT: HEALTH AND HUNGER IN WEST VIRGINIA

Christian Help of Mingo County is a nondenominational public charity helping to meet poverty and emergency needs. It was incorporated in the State of West Virginia in 1996 and is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) agency.

Cornerstone Family Interventions (CFI) was formed on October 31, 2005 in response to a lack of resources that were available to children and families in southern West Virginia that put them at risk for harm. Each program is focused on CFI’s mission: to promote safety, permanency, and wellbeing for children and families in West Virginia.

Facing Hunger Foodbank provides canned, boxed, fresh, frozen, and prepared food to nearly 116,000 individuals annually. This food is recovered and secured from restaurants, supermarkets, food distributors, the USDA, farmers, wholesalers, sportsmen, and through food and fund drives.

They distribute emergency food through 248 partner agencies and programs, including soup kitchens, neighborhood centers, family crisis centers, and homeless shelters for adults and children.

Faith in Action of the Greater Kanawha Valley is a volunteer program providing free services to our older neighbors, aged 60 and up, in Kanawha and Putnam counties. They offer a range of programs for care receivers to choose from, depending on their need. These include transportation to medical appointments, grocery shopping assistance, weekly reassurance calls, and minor home repairs through our “Honey Do” Crews.

Hungry Lambs Food Initiative began in 1991 at the First Presbyterian Church of Logan.

Back then, a small group of church members would drive to Coal Mountain Food Bank to purchase food. Now, the organization is one of the largest pantries in Logan County and partners with several organizations, including: Facing Hunger Foodbank, the Fresh Start Program, Logan PRIDE Community Services, Coalfield Health Center, and the Logan County Health Department.

Marshall’s Nutrition Education Program (NEP) is a federally funded grant program through the USDA Food and Nutrition Services and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed).

The program provides SNAP-Ed to low-income individuals and families who are eligible to receive SNAP benefits. NEP offers education services during school hours as well as conducting after school programs and involves nutrition education at various levels, targeting school-aged children.

Mountaineer Food Bank launched in 1981 in Gassaway, due to its central location. It is the largest emergency food provider in West Virginia, distributing over 29 million pounds annually. MFB provides food and other household items to over 480 feeding programs in 48 counties in West Virginia, including Boone County. They are part of the Feeding America network. If you’re interested in volunteering with Mountaineer Food Bank, contact Melissa England, Volunteer Coordinator, at 304-364-5518.

Mingo County STOP Coalition (Strong Through Our Plan) began in the early 1990s by a group of citizens concerned about the growing problem of substance abuse in Southern West Virginia.

As the organization grew and progressed, a mission was adopted: STOP is committed to serving and mobilizing our communities around the issues of substance abuse in order to promote community well being and a high quality of life that is free from the impact of substance abuse and its adverse effects.

Step by Step WV is a grassroots nonprofit organization that has been serving counties across the state of West Virginia for 33 years.

Today, they have over 100 people on their payroll and a $1.2 million budget. They provide afterschool and summer programming and mentoring initiatives at over 15 sites across Lincoln, Logan, and Kanawha counties. Grow Appalachia chapters in Lincoln and Logan County are part of a long-term commitment to food security through which they have started over 30 afterschool or summer food programs. In addition,

they sponsor over 30 AmeriCorps VISTA and 40 direct service AmeriCorps members each year, both investing in local leaders and bringing new volunteers into the region. Many programs are piloted from the Big Ugly Community Center in southern Lincoln County, founded in 1995.

West Virginia University Extension Service is an educational and service outreach program of the university and federal, state, and local governments. They have staff serving all 55 counties. The major programs and services are: agricultural education, master gardeners, 4-H and youth development, nutrition outreach, and childcare development.

Wild, Wonderful, Healthy Logan County is comprised of cross-sector organizations working together to create a community health plan.

Their vision is to create a culture of health in Logan County to unleash community prosperity. It serves Boone, Lincoln, Logan, and Mingo counties.

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Meet the student reporters

Sarah Davis

Brea Smith

Victoria Ware

Sarah Davis is a sophomore journalism student at Marshall University. She is the news editor with The Parthenon, Marshall’s student newspaper. She also has experience with the Charleston Gazette’s Flipside. Sarah enjoys reading, traveling, shopping and playing tennis in her free time. She is also an active member of her local church. Sarah aspires to work as a multimedia journalist and dreams of making it big someday.

Brea Smith is a senior at Marshall University studying Multi-Media Journalism. She is from Piketon, Ohio.

She has worked for Marshall’s student newspaper, The Parthenon. She enjoys writing poems and short stories in her downtime, listening to music, and spending time with her family.

Victoria Ware is a senior Multimedia Journalism major at Marshall University.

She is the Opinions and Culture Editor of Marshall’s student-run newspaper, The Parthenon. For her work with Marshall’s student-produced newscast, she received the Dustin Opell Award for MU Report Reporter of the Year. Victoria is an intern at WSAZ-TV. She also enjoys watching films, reading, and singing.

Matthew Schaffer

Evan Green

Alaina Laster

Matthew Schaffer is a Huntington native studying journalism as a senior at the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Marshall University.

Since joining the program, he worked with WMUL Radio before joining The Parthenon in the news editor position in 2022 and now serves as managing editor.

He holds a minor in political science and hopes to cover national politics and foreign affairs.

Evan Green is a Marshall University student majoring in journalism and psychology. He has been a freelance reporter for several news publications over the last five years, including Scioto County Daily News, The Portsmouth Daily Times, and the Shawnee State Chronicle. He also served as the Field Director for Dr. Sydnee McElroy’s House of Delegates campaign and worked as a summer fellow for the West Virginia Working Families Party. Evan is also a member of the Brad D. Smith Student Incubator.

Alaina Laster is a senior studying Broadcast Journalism at Marshall University. She is from Algonac, Michigan and is a Diver on Marshall’s swim and dive team. She has worked at Marshall’s student newspaper, student television news program, and their radio station.

She has completed internships with The Herald-Dispatch as well as the Marshall School of Art and Design. Alaina loves to read and write, as well as take care of her house plants.

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2023 REPORT: HEALTH AND HUNGER IN WEST VIRGINIA

About Think Kids Our mission at Think Kids is “fostering ingenuity, inspiring change, and cultivating generations of healthy, happy kids.” We work to ensure that all of West Virginia’s kids grow up healthy, safe, and equipped with the needed tools to thrive as they develop.

We connect parents, guardians, and care providers with resources and services that ensure that kids are raised in healthy environments. And, we inform and promote changes to local policies, systems, and environments to foster healthy living and prevent health inequities. Kids are the most important investment we can make to change the trajectory of poor health outcomes in our state. We envision a day when all of West Virginia’s kids are safe, healthy, and aspire to do great things.

To learn more, check out our bi-monthly newsletter, our website at thinkkidswv.org, and our Facebook page: Contact: Kelli Caseman at kelli@thinkkidswv.org

The Health and Hunger Report is sponsored by:

Think Kids • PO Box 11590. • Charleston, WV 25339 • 304.410.0499