HELPING THOSE IN NEED — More than 50 volunteers took time Friday to pass out food to those in need during a mobile pantry presented through the Mountaineer Food Bank and organized by Bless This Child Food Ministries, the New Cumberland Food Closet and Chester First Christian Church. -- Steve Rappach
NEWELL — With a need to help underprivileged families in the area, several churches and organizations gathered Friday to help families less fortunate.
Several organizations, churches, some local businesses and more than four dozen volunteers took time to help families in need through the first mobile food pantry stationed at the Wells Building gymnasium in Newell.
The two-hour pantry was organized by Bless This Child Food Ministries of Newell, the New Cumberland Food Closet and Chester First Christian Church in conjunction with Mountaineer Food Bank, which provides foods for needy families throughout the state.
Hancock County families in need were able to walk through the line and received groceries such as fresh produce, meat, poultry and nonperishable items such as canned foods, noodles, pasta, sauces, snacks and other foods.
According to Melissa Coble of Bless This Food, the pantry — the first of its kind through the participating agencies — saw more than 100 families walk through within the first half hour of opening the doors at 11 a.m.
“This is our first time doing this,” Coble said. “We’re hoping to go once every month with this.”
Based in Gassaway, W.Va., in Braxton County, Mountaineer Food Bank provides food and household items to residents and works with food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, backpack programs, senior programs and mobile pantries in 48 counties in the state.
Working with the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, MFB provides almost 3.5 million pounds of food annually and also partners with Wal-Mart and Kroger in local communities to help reduce food waste and provide dairy and produce items.
Officials with the mobile pantry, which provides food to “food deserts,” or areas with limited assess to fresh foods, came to Newell, noting the community is one that did not receive a lot of attention regarding helping families food-wise.
Along with the agencies, seven other churches, including Hope Christian Fellowship and Newell First Church of the Nazarene and organizations, including the Hancock County Opportunity Center, Homer Laughlin China Co. and the Newell Volunteer Fire Department assisted at the event.
Any food items that were not passed out at Friday’s pantry remained in the area and were to be divided among the three area agencies, officials said.
A second mobile pantry in Newell will be considered for later this year.
