West Virginia is considered to be the fourth “hungriest” state by organizations such as Feeding America and the U.S. Department of Agriculture studying food insecurity in this country. Certainly, Appalachia is hit hard. In the Mountain State, the rate is approximately 16.67%. A significant number of those affected are children.

Homegrown efforts such as those of the Highmark Foundation and WVU Medicine are a lifeline for families in need. For that reason, the Highmark Foundation announced a $1 million grant toward the extension of the Food for Mountaineers program. Since 2024, the program has provided pre-funded debit cards for families to buy healthy food at Kroger, Food Lion, Walmart, Amazon Fresh, Instacart and Dollar General.

“Highmark and WVU Medicine have a long-standing partnership focused on creating environments that support mental, physical and social well-being, and we are proud to continue building on those efforts with this new grant,” said Highmark West Virginia President Jay Sheehy.

Supporting families’ ability to get enough healthy food now supports better health outcomes later.

For that reason, Sarah Patrick, medical director of WVU Medicine Population Health, said “We are thrilled to work with the Highmark Foundation and InComm Healthcare to expand access to nutritious food and advance food medicine efforts, ensuring patients have the support they need to focus on improving their health.”

Tackling the range of challenges that has kept so many families struggling in our region will take time and will. Lawmakers and other public officials have a great deal on their plates as they work to diversify and expand our economies in a way that provides better opportunities and resources and lifts EVERYONE.

But while they face that responsibility, partnerships such as that between Highmark and WVU will continue to work so that families have full plates, too.