Breaking News
Community News

West Virginia University, Ohio State reps spread word about food insecurity

By Brett Dunlap 3 min read

MARIETTA -- West Virginia and Ohio residents came together Thursday in Marietta to shed light on food insecurity in the area.

Representatives from the Ohio State University Extension from Washington County in Marietta and the WVU Extension from Wood County gathered on the Ohio side of the Williamstown Bridge to honor local organizations who serve the communities on both sides of the river and provide food to those in need.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. It is important to know that though hunger and food insecurity are closely related, they are distinct concepts, according to the Hunger+Health Feeding America website. Hunger refers to a personal, physical sensation of discomfort, while food insecurity refers to a lack of available financial resources for food at the household level, according to the website.

In West Virginia, 1 in 8 residents are food insecure, said Jodi Smith, Extension Agent for the WVU Extension Service.

In Ohio, it is 1 in 9 residents, according to information provided by the OSU Extension Service.

Marcus McCartney, OSU Extension Educator in Washington County, said the rising cost of everything is part of food insecurity for a lot of people.

The event Thursday helped bring attention to the situation and let people know there are services out there. With rising costs, many people might be facing food insecurity for the first time and might not be aware of services available locally, McCartney said.

Those gathered included WVU Extension agents from Wood County and WVU Extension and WVU Center for Community Engagement crew from Morgantown, WVU students, and the WVU Mountaineer, Mary Roush of Mason, W.Va., as well as well as representatives from the OSU Extension Service and Brutus Buckeye.

Both universities and their mascots are points of pride throughout the area, McCartney said, adding having them there helped bring attention to this issue.

"It helps create awareness," McCartney said. "We want people to know there is help if they are struggling."

The Gathering Place and Old Man Rivers were both honored as Food Kindness Heroes by WVU Center for Community Engagement and WVU Extension. Representatives from the OSU Extension honored Newport Community Food Pantry and Go Packs.

Both extension services have provided around 300,000 meals to be delivered to people in need in both states, with 120,000-130,000 in West Virginia and 150,000-160,000, McCartney said.

"The meals are packaged soup ingredients that have a stable shelf life," Smith said.

The meals can be available for a few weeks when they are needed and don't have to be eaten immediately.

"It is still there and will still be available," McCartney said.

There were plans to walk to the state line on the bridge and hang OSU and WVU flags, but it was too windy and couldn't be done.

McCartney said they also wanted to honor the farmers who work every year to grow and provide the food many people eat.

"We wanted to acknowledge where it comes from," he said.

The event was started by OSU last year and WVU joined this year to bridge the gap between rural and urban areas. These meals were packed by university employees and students.

"We hope this will be something that will continue into the future to raise awareness about food insecurity in our states and across the nation," Smith said.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsand sentinel.com

Starting at /week.