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
2023 REPORT: HEALTH AND HUNGER IN WEST VIRGINIA
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.
