Marshall County Family Resource Network Food Drive Set To End Monday
Local 4-H participants are pitching in to assist a county-wide food drive in Moundsville this weekend.
The “Hunger Doesn’t Take a Summer Vacation” community food drive, hosted by the Marshall County Family Resource Network, concludes Monday, as teams will drop off their donations at the former West Virginia Penitentiary from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Moundsville Center. Food pantry volunteers can receive the donations from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday.
The network developed the drive this summer after staff noticed area food pantries, soup kitchens and other organizations that provide meal assistance are seeing an increase in individuals and families seeking their services.
According to FRN Executive Director Stacie Dei, more than 20 local organizations, including Reynolds Memorial Hospital, Chevron, Williams Energy, the city of Moundsville, BB&T, Reynolds Memorial Hospital, Happy Tails Pet Salon and Legal Aid of West Virginia have become involved. Drop-off locations have also been placed at local store fronts throughout the city.
This weekend, participants from the county’s 18 4-H clubs will also lend a hand.
According to Lisa Ingram, 4-H youth development agent for the West Virginia University Extension Office in Moundsville, members from across the county will bring canned goods and other non-perishables along with their exhibits and animal entries to the Marshall County Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today.
“Our office in general participates with the FRN by attending their quarterly community meeting, where we all share ideas, so when they proposed the food drive we decided that would be a good community service project for the 4-H kids,” Ingram said. “We like to do a couple service projects each year so we chose to participate since it was going to provide to county food banks. We tend to have a better response when it’s right in the community they’re living in.”
Ingram said there are 425 4-H members ages 9-21 in the county and she hopes to have a large turnout.
“I am hoping we have several donations, as we’ve really promoted the drive,” she said. “If any member of the community is interested in assisting, we would welcome any donation dropoffs.”
According to Dei, the drive will benefit all local pantries receiving help from the Mountaineer Food Bank, along with Appalachian Outreach, who will send a portion of the donations to southern West Virginians in need.
Dei is also encouraging members of the community to bring any non-perishable donations to the Moundsville Center from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday — the final day of the drive.
“If people are not already part of a team, we’d like them to bring any donations here Monday,” Dei said. “Organizations like the extension are very community-minded. They’re so focused on helping when other people have a project and they jump in to help. To have 20 teams involved is amazing. …We have more than 1,500 pounds in canned food and that’s only counting two drives at local stores.”
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