By Kenzie Dye
Amidst its renowned rolling hills and tight-knit communities, West Virginia faces a serious issue: the prevalence of food deserts and widespread food insecurity.
In many rural and urban areas, access to fresh food is limited or nonexistent, contributing to higher rates of diet-related illnesses and leaving residents with few nutritious options.
Grow Ohio Valley, Farms Work Wonders, Mountaineer Food Bank and the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition are just some of the many organizations throughout the Mountain State taking initiatives to ensure all West Virginians have access to the nourishment they need.
Grow Ohio Valley works to improve the health and economic prosperity of the Ohio Valley region through access to local food initiatives.
“The organization achieves its mission by partnering with our community and impacting all levels of the food system,” says Jason Koegler, executive director of Grow Ohio Valley. “Grow Ohio Valley provides educational programming, engages in production of produce and supports food and farming related small-business owners with all aspects of marketing and selling their products.”
The organization manages five unique farm sites, offers nutrition-based experiential learning opportunities, provides gardening technical assistance to community members of all ages and operates a farmer-first grocery store called the Public Market.
Grow Ohio Valley is currently in the construction phase of The Wheeling Food Hub, a food processing and business development center.
“The Wheeling Food Hub project is a vital initiative for the overall health and sustainability of the organization as it will prove to be a revenue generator that produces unrestricted funds,” says Koegler.
Founded in 1981 in response to growing concerns over statewide food insecurity, Mountaineer Food Bank was one of the first members of Feeding America, a national organization working to end hunger. It originally served the state from a small warehouse in Gassaway, WV, that was less than 5,000 square feet, distributing approximately 1.6 million meals annually. In 1996, the organization moved to its current location off I-79 in Gassaway that is 23,000 square feet, distributing between 3-4 million meals annually. Today, the food bank distributes almost 20 million meals each year.
Mountaineer Food Bank recognizes the gaps in access and in its infrastructure.
“The food bank model is built on being able to secure foods from all across the country and reach communities in every part of the state,” says Chad Morrison, chief executive officer of Mountaineer Food Bank. “In order to do this, the food bank is expanding the capacity of its Gassaway facility by 60,000 square feet to be able to receive and distribute an additional 10 million meals annually by 2029.”
The food bank works to fight food insecurity and food deserts in many different ways, but all approaches fall under two main categories: feeding West Virginians and empowering
communities to end hunger.
“Through the feeding category, we primarily provide food to more than 460 local feeding programs, which in turn feed hungry neighbors in their communities,” says Morrison. “These foods include donated foods from manufacturers and retailers, federal commodities through the USDA and WVDA, and, more increasingly, food purchased to support these programs.”
These feeding programs include food pantries, hot meal programs, backpack programs, senior programs, youth programs and domestic shelters.
Mountaineer Food Bank also operates many of its own programs to fill in the gaps where there may be a lack of service through its mobile pantry program and its Veterans Table, Extra Mile, Summer Feeding and Food for Health programs. These programs all focus on vulnerable populations that may lack transportation, access or the means to regularly consume healthy foods.
“It’s important that Mountaineer Food Bank is able to provide the right foods in the right places for our neighbors,” says Morrison.
Over the past decade, the food bank has increased its efforts to empower West Virginia communities, including work on nutrition and healthy eating, local food purchasing and building collective partnerships that address multiple reasons for food insecurity. Through its local food purchases, Mountaineer Food Bank has been able to not only provide fresh, healthy foods but also support West Virginia farmers and the local economy.
“In the past year, we’ve purchased over $2 million of West Virginia grown foods, including potatoes from Preston County, beef from Hardy County, tomatoes from Putnam County and apples from Berkeley County,” says Morrison. “We currently have a robust program that purchases from more than 15 farms that are owned and operated by socially disadvantaged producers in West Virginia.”
The West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition (WVFFC) was founded by the West Virginia Community Development Hub in 2010. In 2009, West Virginians began reaching out to the hub for guidance on developing local food systems.
“While some critical food and farm infrastructure existed in the state, no organization specifically focused on integrating this infrastructure with the broader development of local food systems,” says Spencer Moss, executive director of the WVFFC. “The need for a network became evident—one capable of identifying and addressing the needs and opportunities within the local food and farm sector at the state level, while facilitating resource and information sharing among stakeholders statewide.”
The coalition serves all 55 counties in the state. It addresses and combats food insecurity and food deserts by creating strategic programs, projects and partnerships. One of its key strategies is placing staff in the most rural areas, enabling them to forge strong connections with local farmers and producers.
“This approach ensures these farmers can access markets, grocery stores and schools, allowing them to supply fresh, locally grown food to their communities,” Moss says. “In turn, this fosters a sustainable cycle where the community supports local farmers, creating a more resilient local food system.”
Tangible examples of these strategic programs include SNAP Stretch, which allows EBT recipients to double or triple their ability to purchase locally grown produce at farmers markets, mobile markets, on-farm stands, community supported agriculture models and local grocery stores; the Rural Grocer Program, which supports small grocery businesses in West Virginia; and advocating for and implementing policy changes at the state level.
Moss says these policy initiatives are designed to provide long-term solutions for both farmers and those facing food insecurity. She also emphasizes the importance of collaboration when working toward sustainable change.
“We do all of this work in partnership,” she says. “There are many organizations that help us move all of this forward, including Facing Hunger Food Bank, West Virginia University Family Nutrition Program, Keep Your Faith Corporation, The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, Partners in Community Capital and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.”
As West Virginia battles food deserts and insecurity, these are only a few of the many organizations making a difference. Their efforts go beyond providing meals—they work to ensure no one in the Mountain State goes hungry, paving the way for a healthier, more sustainable future.
Farms Work Wonders
In 2016, the vision to establish a small nonprofit farm in the quaint town of Wardensville, WV, began to take shape, with the goal of employing 10 local youth. What began as just a few crates filled with potatoes and dried herbs soon blossomed into something much bigger. By the end of the year, Farms Work Wonders had become a well-known tourist attraction.
“As community interest grew, so did we,” says Jason Smith, managing director of Farms Work Wonders. “This momentum allowed us to transform our farm stand into a thriving market in the historic Frye Farmhouse.”
Today, Farms Work Wonders includes Lewis Farm, a diversified, certified organic vegetable and pasture-based livestock farm; Wardensville Garden Market, an on-farm market featuring goods produced from Farms Work Wonders’ other businesses and pantry goods from other farmers, small businesses and makers; Dakota Glass Works, a state-of-the-art glassblowing studio dedicated to promoting and preserving the historic West Virginian art of glassblowing; Mack’s Bingo Bakery, a from-scratch bakery utilizing seasonal fruit and produce to create sweet and savory delicacies that represent the region; and Mack’s Bingo Kitchen, an American restaurant using seasonal ingredients from Farms Work Wonders’ organic farm and other nearby farms and purveyors.
Farms Work Wonders indirectly addresses food insecurity by increasing local food production, employing over 100 people, donating to the local food bank and educating the community about seasonal and small-scale production.
“Being in a food desert, we understand the limited food choices in rural areas,” Smith says. “By providing fresh, seasonal foods, we aim to improve food availability in our area, though we recognize this is a broader issue our communities will continue to face.”
The organization’s guiding star is its mission: to ignite the spark of curiosity in Appalachian youth so they see themselves and their futures in new and exciting ways.
“We believe that youth have inherent interests, which we call sparks,” Smith says. “By helping them discover these sparks and pairing them with supportive relationships and opportunities, we believe that youth can identify their unique contributions to the world and thrive.
