RESOURCES Active Southern West Virginia is a nonprofit providing an ecosystem of physical activity for the residents of southern West Virginia by offering programs led by trained volunteers from within the communities it serves. In 2020, the organization included Boone County in its six-county service area. For a full calendar of events with program updates, descriptions, and driving directions, please visit: https://activeswv.org/calendar/. AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time service program that covers lodging and travel expenses, allowing young adults to serve on a team and make an impact in communities across the country while gaining valuable leadership skills. BARN Community Center incorporates the first letter of the four non-incorporated communities in the surrounding area: Bruston, Ashford, Ridgeview, and Nellis- to create an acronym for its name. The mission of the BARN is two-tiered: the immediate or emergency needs of people in the community, without judgment via services such as substance abuse recovery, financial assistance for education, and help with things like utilities and transportation until they can get back up on their feet. Boone Memorial Hospital is a critical access hospital. With a 25-inpatient bed count and 24-hour emergency room, the hospital is a medical hub in its community, with a myriad of services and educational and community events such as Food and Toy Drives, Go Red for Women campaign events, blood drives, lunch and learn health education sessions, and an annual health fair. Coalfield Health Center is a rural, nonprofit organization that provides primary and preventive health care services to Chapmanville and the surrounding area. Coalfield Health Center officially began operations in July 2009. As a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike, the center’s services are available to all residents of the area regardless of their income level, insurance status, or residency. Energy Express is a six-week summer reading and nutrition program for children living in West Virginia’s rural and low-income communities. More than 3,000 children statewide gain or maintain reading levels during summer months through creative, colorful, and captivating uses of art, drama, and vocabulary. The program provides children with two nutritious meals each day during the program, helping to ensure our youths are fed each day even after the school year comes to an end. Energy Express is offered in various counties at select locations.
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Facing Hunger Foodbank serves 17 counties in three states. It 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. It distributes emergency food through 248 partner agencies and programs, including soup kitchens, neighborhood centers, family crisis centers, and homeless shelters for adults and children. The Fresh Start Program is a comprehensive opioid abuse treatment program, managed by the Southwestern Regional Day Report Center. It accepts referrals from various entities such as probation, home confinement, self-referrals, etc. This program is intended to connect individuals back into their community through various means such as community gardens, volunteering, agricultural and artisan programming, and community engagement. It serves Logan, Lincoln, and Mingo Counties. Grow Appalachia is a community garden-based food security program, headquartered at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. It is currently in its 12th year of operation and seeks to help as many Appalachian families grow as much of their own food as possible. 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, PRIDE Community Services, Coalfield Health Center, and the Logan County Health Department. 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. It is 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. Partners in Prevention is a unique model of communities working together to strengthen families and help West Virginia’s children grow up free from abuse and neglect. The Partners in Prevention network comprises 42 community teams across West Virginia implementing
2021 ISSUE BRIEF: HEALTH & HUNGER SUMMIT SERIES IN BOONE, LINCOLN, & LOGAN COUNTIES
