W.Va. Foodbank: ‘We’re Not Providing As Much’

A foodbank that serves 12 counties in West Virginia is struggling to meet a three-pronged challenge, starting with a sharp increase in demand. 

The head of the Facing Hunger Foodbank said their client list has jumped from 130,000 to well over 150,000 this year. 

At the same time, steep cuts to U-S Department of Agriculture’s TEFAP, or The Emergency Food Assistance Program, have dropped food supplies by about 30%. 

“So there was that kind of perfect storm of a decrease in food resources, and then the folks that we serve having decreased resources to buy food with,” said CEO Cyndi Kirkhart. 

She also said inflation has pushed prices way up. 

“Used to, I could get a pound of ground beef for under $2 a pound. Now, even buying wholesale, I’m paying upwards of $6 a pound,” Kirkhart said.

She said the result is a lot less for those in need. 

“We’re not providing as much, or as frequently, protein, dairy, eggs. Things like that that cost quite a bit more,” Kirkhart said.

Kirkhart also said the hardest hit areas of West Virginia are southern counties which have faced mine closures and layoffs as well as devastation floods this year.