JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ohio — In parts of Hancock, Jefferson, and Brooke counties, plus the village of Wellsville, residents face an ongoing challenge — accessing fresh and affordable food.
These areas have been designated as food deserts, meaning it’s difficult for people to buy nutritious options, particularly fresh produce.
Instead, many communities rely on processed and packaged foods, often found in convenience and dollar stores.
A significant issue preventing residents from accessing fresh food is transportation. Many communities, including New Manchester and Beech Bottom, lack reliable public or private transportation options.
“We recognize those as not being able to get to without having transportation or walking a mile or two to get to a grocery store, a Dollar General, or even a food bank or something, but that also includes a restaurant, or even a gas station or a mom and pop store,” said Janna Gordon, executive director, Brooke Hancock Family Resource Network.
Without personal vehicles or public transit, residents in these food deserts are left with few options.
“Right up the street, we’ve got an Aldi and Kroger and a Walmart,” Gordon said of the organization’s location in Weirton. “It’s all right here in this area, and that’s great for anybody that lives locally, or you live on the bus line that can get to it. But if you’re outside of that, then there’s nothing. Then you’re just stuck.”
This issue is not new. Many communities in the Ohio Valley have seen a decline in grocery stores over the years, correlating with the economic turndown and the closure of the steel mills.
“Years ago, there were numerous grocery stores in downtown Steubenville, and of course the mills were open, and the economy and the population was much greater,” said Mary Snyder, who organizes the summertime farmer’s market in downtown Steubenville.
“Over the years is that declined, so did the grocery stores, so we are left with no grocery stores in the downtown area.”
In the absence of supermarkets, dollar stores have filled the gap, but many believe they do not provide adequate food options.
“All of the processed foods in the packaged foods that the Dollar Tree and the Dollar General provide, it’s just not adequate. It’s not good for people,” Snyder said.
“If you look on the back of a label and there’s 25 ingredients, and 20 of them you don’t know, what they are? It’s processed,” said Drazen Frankovitch, owner EzFresh Meals in Steubenville.
The lack of fresh food access is not just an inconvenience, it has serious health consequences. According to State of Childhood Obesity, West Virginia has the highest adult obesity rate at 41.2 percent of the population classified as obese.
“It’s an extreme problem if a child is not getting all the different food groups,” Gordon said. “I mean, we know that we teach that in school and everything because it truly does go to your development. So, if you’re living on processed food, you’re not getting the proper proteins and calcium and all the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs to develop properly.”
Although there is one small fresh produce store in down town Steubenville named Steubenville Grocery Box, Rich Delatore, a Steubenville resident of more than 70 years, echoed the need for change.
“It’d be nice if we could get a nice store in downtown Steubenville again,” he said. “And it’d have enough customers because there’s a walking clientele here, so it would be able to support a nice store.”
Recognizing the urgent need for food access, several organizations are stepping up. The Brooke Hancock FRN is helping by creating calendars that inform the community about upcoming food distribution events, including food pantries and hot meal services.
Through region resiliency funding, $15,000 was awarded to purchase a van, which will be used to create mobile food banks and pop-up pantries.
Another $15,000 grant from Aetna was used to establish blessing cabinets — small community food pantries where residents can take what they need.
The cabinets are located at the New Manchester Fire Department, Beech Bottom’s Corner Stone Academy, and outside the FRN in Weirton, with plans to expand into Chester and Hooverson Heights.
Local businesses are also acknowledging the problem. Frankovitch pointed out the difficulty in finding quality food.
“The one thing I noticed here, if you want something — not necessarily even healthy — but just fresh, you can’t get it. It’s big, commercial companies. There were some small mom and pop shops, but there really isn’t anymore, unfortunately.”
Snyder, who organizes the farmer’s market in downtown Steubenville, noted that while the market provides fresh, locally grown produce, it only operates once a week from June through October, leaving residents with limited options for much of the year.
“Basically, with the farmer’s market, you’re getting fresh local produce and vegetables and jams and jellies that are all healthy foods, and our society, which is apparently inundated with unhealthy foods, just simply from the point of people’s health and their appearances,” Snyder said.
The long-term goal, according to Gordon, is to increase access to fresh, nutritious food for all residents.
“What is really ultimately the goal is to get to fresh produce – fruits, vegetables, meats, any kind of protein like that,” Gordon said. “That’s truly something that we would love for everyone to be able to have access to.
“I would love to see less Dollar General being put up and more actual grocery stores or even a corporate sponsored farmer’s market.”
Despite these efforts, the issue remains pressing.
“Living in a food desert is, it just shouldn’t happen,” Gordon said. “Honestly, we have so many resources, and we’re so knowledgeable on the issue that truly we might be able to say exist, but they shouldn’t exist for long. We should be able to come together and make this happen.”
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