Mountaineer Food Bank knows the holidays are a critical time for those facing food insecurity
By Vanta Coda III, RealWV
The holidays are known for their festive feasts, but what about those who are experiencing food insecurity during this time? Since 1981, the Mountaineer Food Bank has been supporting West Virginians through providing food to community members facing food insecurity and other challenges.
Today, the Mountaineer Food Bank, headquartered in Gassaway, WV, is the largest emergency food provider in the state. This organization distributes over 20 million pounds of food annually through the method of pop-up mobile food pantries across the state. The mobile food pantry initiative aims to assist local West Virginians facing food insecurity by reducing travel distance for those who are in need.
While Mountaineer Food Bank has their mobile food pantries year-round, Julie Robinette, Marketing and Communications Officer for Mountaineer Food Bank, recognizes that this is a critical time to assist individuals facing food insecurity.
“We definitely see an increase in need around this time, which is attributed to a lot of factors in which the holiday season tends to tighten people’s budgets,” said Robinette.
On Dec 10, one of the Mountaineer Food Bank’s mobile food pantries set up shop at St. James Greater Catholic Church in Charles Town, WV to meet Allie Enos and her parish volunteers. Together, they distributed food to residents of Jefferson County and the Eastern Panhandle region. Each mobile food pantry is off loaded and distributed by local volunteers from the community at each distribution site.
“When the truck arrives with their donations, we set it all up and have people bag the items if necessary,” said Enos. “We have already gone through the cars and placed small sticky notes indicating how many families are inside each one. This way, when we bring out the carts, we will know how much to load, allowing people to stay in their vehicles.”
“Usually, we just get a lot of people like how it is now to show up and our leader, Allie, who you’ve met, coordinates everything,” said Carroll. “But it’s definitely a group effort, for sure.”
In December, the Mountaineer Food Bank will distribute a total of 19 food pantries to various counties across the state, all in an effort to reach as many West Virginians as possible during the holiday season. With the efforts of the Mountaineer Food Bank, West Virginians can feel hopeful for a holiday season gathered around the table.
