WHEELING, W.Va. — The percentage of people struggling to make ends “meat” is growing at an alarming rate, prompting local organizations to seek better solutions.
Liz Paulhus, director of development & donor services at the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley, highlighted the increasing demand on food pantries.
“Food pantries are seeing more and more families coming through their doors,” she said. “There have been reductions in some of the donations that are coming in.”
In response, the CFOV has launched its Food Security Fund with an initial $100,000 investment. This fund will support all counties in the Northern Panhandle, as well as Belmont and Jefferson counties.
“Food insecurity basically means that a person, in the course of a year, at any point in time, has limited or uncertain access to adequate, nutritious food,” Paulhus said. “So, that’s a little different than hunger and how we think about that.”
With rising prices, food insecurity is affecting everyday Americans, making it difficult for many to recover.
“If you have a slightly less income source, or just below the poverty line, or at the poverty line, obviously when you go to the grocery store, the cost of goods continue to go up, so what you’re able to bring home becomes a smaller cart than before,” Paulhus said.
The new resource will directly support local food pantries, afterschool and weekend backpack programs, and more.
However, continued help is needed to create sustainability. Those interested in making a donation, click here.
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