WHEELING — Grow Ohio Valley and its downtown grocery and food hub, The Public Market, will be providing food boxes in November to those experiencing the temporary loss of food assistance benefits.

The emergency November Food Box Program will begin next week, said Jodi Adams, executive director of Grow OV.

The program is intended to help those not receiving their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the government shutdown.

There will be 50 family food boxes made available to households most affected by the SNAP interruption, with each box designed to support a family of four for approximately one week, Adams said.

In total, 150 boxes are set to be distributed – 50 each week over a three-week period.

The first of the boxes will be available Nov. 6-7 at Public Market during a time period still to be determined, according to Adams.

“We will have a table in the front, and we have contacted SNAP families to get the word out,” she said. “We have no idea if nobody will show up, or if everybody in town will show up.”

Those coming for the boxes will need to show their SNAP card.

Grow OV has received $15,000 in philanthropic donations to make the November Food Box Program possible, according to Adams. She is crediting Rondal Richardson, director of entertainment philanthropy at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and Senora and Tyler Childers and their charitable initiative, The Hickman Holler Appalachian Relief Fund for the funding.

Adams added the partnership ensures local families have access to nutritious food during a critical gap in federal assistance.

Each box will be stocked to feed a family of four for approximately one week, but the contents can be broken down to feed more smaller families. she explained.

Contained in the boxes will be two varieties of locally raised meats, fresh bread and milk from regional producers and seasonal produce from area farms. Also provided will be essential pantry staples such as beans, pasta and peanut butter.

All items will be sourced through The Public Market’s network of more than 80 regional farmers, bakers and producers, reinforcing the local food economy while delivering immediate relief, according to Adams.

“When families face an unexpected interruption to SNAP, the fallout is immediate – fridges go bare, budgets break, and stress skyrockets,” Adams said. “Thanks to this support, we can respond right now with healthy, local food while also sustaining the farmers and producers who feed our region.”

She noted Ohio County’s families – especially working households, seniors, and single parents – rely on SNAP to meet basic nutritional needs.

“Even a short-term suspension creates a dangerous gap,” she said. “By pairing emergency food relief with local sourcing, GrowOV’s response addresses both urgent hunger and regional food system stability.”

Community members who wish to support the November Food Box Program can donate to expand the number of boxes available, volunteer to help assemble and distribute boxes and spread the word to neighbors and organizations serving families in need.

For details on giving or volunteering, contact jodi@growov.org. or call 740-921-8488.

Adams said she has contacted the office of West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey about funding for the November Food Box Program, as he recently announced the state would be willing to match financial donations to two food banks in the state.

Morrisey reports the state has up to $13 million in contingency funding left over from the COVID-19 pandemic that it is willing to distribute evenly between Mountaineer Food Bank in Gassaway and the Facing Hunger Foodbank in Huntington.

“We are just seeing if he will be able to do that so we can get more money to help more people,” she continued. “We will keep trying to raise money.”