ORIGIN:
Mountaineer Food
Bank, a private, non-profit organization, was founded in 1981 as the
result of the efforts of an anti-hunger coalition. These caring people were
operating feeding programs in West Virginia, and they were looking
for ways to feed more people with their funds.
MISSION
STATEMENT:
Mountaineer Food
Bank’s mission is to help alleviate hunger in West
Virginia.
- Educate
general public of our existence and
mission.
- Promote
awareness of hunger in West Virginia.
- Continue to
develop and maintain a network for food acquisition,
storage,
distribution and
usage throughout the state.
- Seek out and
collaborate with other organizations who share the mission to
alleviate hunger
in the state.
THE
PROBLEM:
Despite the
strength of our country’s economy over the past four years, the
number of people served by hunger-relief services has
increased. An
estimated 21.4 million low-income people were served at emergency
feeding sites. In 2001,
that number rose by 9 percent! During a period when food
stamp and welfare caseloads dropped at rates far exceeding the
decline in poverty, government statistics have shown almost no
change in the number of people who are hungry or at risk of
hunger. According
to the census in 1990, of the total population of 1,488,848 West
Virginians, 278,218 (18.6%) live in
poverty.
For families
enrolled in the food stamp program, 83.9% report that their food
stamps last for three weeks or less. For a period of time each
month, hunger is a part of their daily
lives. The
underemployed people have jobs that are minimum wage pay and/or
part-time. These people
struggle to keep a roof over their heads and utilities paid. They depend on the help from
local pantries and soup kitchens to provide food. The elderly often find
themselves needing food due to high medical expenses and limited
incomes. Food is also
provided to people in the event of disasters and/or
emergencies. People
living in shelters or on the streets are also in need of food, and
they often find themselves in need of the services provided by soup
kitchens and pantries.
*Statistics made
available through:
HUNGER IN AMERICA 2001, AMERICA’S SECOND HARVEST’S Third National Hunger
Study.
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