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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- The Belmont County Board of Commissioners scheduled a special meeting for 6 p.m. Nov. 8 at the request of constituents to allow members of the public who cannot attend normal meetings at 9 a.m. Wednesdays to participate and ask questions.
For the past several weeks, there have been guests at the morning meetings raising questions about the animal shelter after it was confirmed that some dogs housed there were euthanized. Commissioner J.P. Dutton has said a shelter is considered to be a "no kill" facility if 10 percent or fewer of the animals there are euthanized. He also stresses the importance of maintaining sufficient space in the crowded shelter and of keeping the shelter doors open for animals during the cold winter months. The commissioners are in the process of planning for a new or expanded shelter.
The board continues to check with shelter staff about the answers to guests' questions. Dutton answered a question from Billie Amos of St. Clairsville on Wednesday, saying animals that are euthanized are buried on county property. There has been one instance of a county employee offering use of their personal land to bury a dog. Amos voiced the opinion that the dogs should be cremated to avoid disturbing them during future county development.
In answer to another guest's questions, Dutton said the county is still limiting volunteers at the shelter. There have been clashes in the past between shelter staff and volunteers.
During a meeting recess, Dutton added that participation is welcome at the upcoming evening meeting and that the commissioners will continue to answer questions from the public.
The county is also partnering once more with Devin Cain of the Ohio Farm Bureau to provide food for hungry students as part of the School Backpack program.
The initiative has benefited from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funding through the Belmont County Department of Job and Family Services. About $270,000 in total has been provided by DJFS over the past three years to help feed Belmont County's students. The program was initiated five years ago.
"We haven't got the funding yet to do them for this year. We purchase meals with the funding that we previously had, and they reimburse us," Cain said.
The program has grown every year, with Martins Ferry City Schools and Shadyside Local School Districts both participating for the first time this year. Every school district in Belmont County except for Bridgeport Exempted Village School District has students taking home backpacks. Cain said this year organizers expect to spend $70,000. He said usually expenses have fallen in the $50,000 range.
"I was happy to reach out to those two schools, and they wanted to help," he said, adding that the need is higher this year.
"Bellaire was around probably 180 backpacks when we started. They're 210. St. Clairsville's up in numbers," he said, adding that Shadyside will receive 90 backpacks and Martins Ferry will receive 60 backpacks.
"We're pushing a little over 400 backpacks every Friday, putting 12 servings of just our food in the backpacks," Cain said.
DJFS Director Jeff Felton said he was interested in supporting the backpack program when he first heard of the initiative and saw this would be an eligible use for the department's TANF allocation.
"A lot of the kids that this program supported are probably receiving food assistance," Felton said. "As long as we could verify the individual student's eligible for food assistance, so we worked very closely with Devin and came up with an application for parents to sign. ... That way we could pay for the meals for those particular kids."
Felton said the TANF allocation is about $100,000. He commended Cain's work.
"He's done a tremendous job getting kids food so they don't go hungry during the week(ends) as well as during the summertime," Felton said.
Cain thanked them for the funding.
"It's taken a huge weight off my shoulders," he said.
Schools pass out the backpacks toward the end of each week. The students bring the backpacks back Monday to be refilled.
The farm bureau packs 400 backpacks every Friday to be dispersed to the school districts.
Cain said the students are given six-serving packages of non-perishable food that can be mixed with water and heated. This includes spaghetti, macaroni and cheese and oatmeal.
"All the kids have to do is boil water and then they have a nutritious, six-serving meal," Cain said. "We give them 12 more servings per weekend. I'm hoping that gets them back to school to get a school lunch."
Volunteers are welcome for a packing event at noon Nov. 18 and at 1 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Ickes Family Life Center at 67880 Friends Church Road, St. Clairsville. They will be packing $52,000 worth of food.
"We need as many volunteers as we can get," he said. "They will get dispersed on Sunday. The schools will come and pick up their meals. ... It goes the whole school year."
Anyone interested can call 740-425-3681 or email belmont@ofbf.org. Walk-ins are welcome.