For the sixth year, the Marshall County Family Resource Network is launching its "Hunger Doesn't Take A Summer Vacation" food drive, and again donations will be taken virtually.
The food drive aims to assist food pantries, soup kitchens and other food assistance programs that benefit Marshall County residents. FRN Executive Director Stacie Dei said the food drive benefits more than 10 such entities in the area, who have been hit hard by the pandemic. Last year's food drive raised $10,000 to benefit them, but the reliance on assistance remains as the worst days of the pandemic appear to be behind us.
"We are definitely feeling the effects of the pandemic in multiple ways, specifically in people who have become unemployed, but also in those who have become underemployed — a cut in hours, a service industry that works off tips or fees," Dei said. "We're definitely seeing an increase in families who need this support who haven't in the past."
The virtual food drive focuses on collecting monetary donations for the various assistance outlets, Dei said, allows the recipients to purchase items according to their own need, both shoring up items that are not commonly donated and having the flexibility to meet their own needs.
"With the pandemic, our response has been very different from how it was in traditional years," she said. "For us to be able to help support our pantries this way, with cash, they're able to buy the staple items that they don't receive in donations. They're able to increase the amount of items they see people really need.
"That has been so helpful in their response to us, to be able to continue the good work that they're doing," Dei added. "This is just a ... much simpler process. People would (in the past) go out and purchase food to donate, but this gives us the ability to find deals on food, or if there are ways they can purchase (fewer) donated items, they can help families so much more."
With regards to a community response to calls for donations of cash rather than goods, Dei said the 2020 drive did not see a substantial difference in donations, but she does recognize that the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic was a different time for many families, and many people may have felt more comfortable pledging money rather than venturing out of their homes to collect groceries or other goods for those in need.
The FRN is remaining with the monetary donation model due to better ease of use with transferring donations and collection at a time when many charitable organizations may already be stretched thin with manpower and time, where the logistics of transporting large quantities of bulky or heavy goods may be impractical.
"It was when people didn't feel as comfortable going to the store; we're keeping this model simply because organizations are overwhelmed with the work attached to doing some of this stuff," she said. "When you're moving 10,000 pounds of food, multiple times, it is overwhelming for organizations."
Dei said the organizations would, of course, still welcome donations of goods, but asked those who would like to donate in that way to take that directly to those groups.
"If people still have the desire to go out and purchase these things, all of these pantries and shelters do take donations, and we would always encourage them to take (goods) to a pantry in their community, or someone they know is doing good work, either on a regular basis or just once at a time," Dei said.
Donations will be accepted online or via mail; please send donations to the Marshall County FRN at 1501 2nd Street, Moundsville, WV 26041 (please indicate "food drive" in the memo line if sending a check). Links to donate to the FRN's drive can be found at their website, marshallcountyfrn.com.
At the conclusion of the drive on May 28, the money will be distributed to organizations who are continuing to feed the hungry in Marshall County.
Since 2016, the community-wide food drive has helped raise and provide thousands of dollars and pounds of food to more than a dozen food assistance organizations in Marshall County. In 2020, the food drive transitioned to a virtual format to ensure recommended health and safety practices could be followed in light of the pandemic.