In the fall of last year, the Governor’s office announced the Posey Perry Emergency Food Fund to help combat food insecurity in West Virginia. As a recent recipient of some of these funds, Union Mission is exploring ways to reach people in need in our service area.
“These funds will help us keep our warehouse stocked with food over the next several months so we will be able to serve those with the greatest need,” says Kathy McFarland, Director of Family Services at Union Mission. “These funds can only be used for purchasing food for fellow West Virginians and we plan to make the most of them.”
“The issue we face,” Kathy says, “is finding ways to get the food into the hands of those in need. Sometimes it can be challenging especially with rural communities in the area.”
Over the past year, Union Mission has been exploring new ways to get food to those who need it the most. One example we have shared before is sending food directly to middle schools who have weekend “backpack” programs so kids won’t be hungry over the weekend when they don’t have access to school food.
Recently, Union Mission has started weekly food deliveries to subsidized housing locations like Charleston Arbors and Jacob Arbors where the elderly and disabled may experience mobility issues and access to food.
“We want to make sure we are not only supplying food to those in need,” says Kathy, “but we are supplying the right food to those in need. As we work with the residents and the directors of these housing facilities and schools, we discover what foods they may be lacking or what foods are needed to complete a more healthy diet. That will affect what foods we bring week in and week out.”
Another area where Union Mission has expanded food distribution is in our preschool. Students enrolled in the preschool are sent home with food bags periodically.
“We have to make sure we don’t neglect the children right under our noses,” says Kathy. “The preschool children can benefit greatly by receiving food packets as they leave the school. Many of them are from families below the poverty line and need help providing quality meals. We also have our next door neighbors here on South Park Road who can benefit from the food we are delivering.”
These new processes create a bit of a challenge for Union Mission. While the Posey Perry Fund provides money for food, Union Mission is still required to provide the tools to store the food safely (warehouse, freezers, etc), the manpower to receive, sort, package, and deliver the food, and the means by which to transport the food.
“The funds from the Posey Perry Emergency Food Fund have been a great help to Union Mission,” says Jason Quintrell, President and CEO of Union Mission. “The ability to purchase food has always been a challenge for us. Being able to handle, manage, and deliver the food is also a challenge for us. We are so grateful for our donors who continue to support our general fund and our fuel fund so we can have the staff and equipment to get the job done. If we get word of a need in Boone or Lincoln or Clay county, or anywhere in our region, I want to be able to have the resources to get food to those in need immediately.”
“Some may find the continuing issue of food insecurity in West Virginia to be daunting and maybe see it as even a hopeless endeavor,” says Jason. “I want to encourage those people and give them something to think about. If we can help people, especially kids, not have to fear they won’t have enough food to eat this week, that will allow them to focus better at school, acquire a solid education, and be able to explore all the opportunities our state and country has to offer as they become adults. Poverty is always going to be an issue, but together we can do our part to reduce the negative impact it has on fellow West Virginians.”
