Senator John Unger Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Flood Ravaged Communities Look to the Future with Long-Term Recovery Committees

About three weeks after June’s historic flooding, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin appointed Major General James Hoyer of the West Virginia National Guard as Chief Recovery Coordinator – tasked with building a team of volunteers to lead flood recovery efforts in southeastern West Virginia. Hoyer asked state Senator John Unger to be one of those team members.

Unger is a Democrat from Berkeley County and is no stranger to flood relief – having worked in recovery efforts abroad in Kolkata, India with Mother Teresa, in both Gulf Wars, and in southern West Virginia.

Hoyer asked Unger to spearhead an initiative to help the twelve heaviest affected counties form “Long-term Recovery Committees.” West Virginia Public Broadcasting sat down with Unger and brings us this report.

What are these “Long-Term Recovery Committees?”

A community committee put in place for the long-term to help the flood affected areas in West Virginia get back on their feet and rebuild.
They’re made up of non-government organizations; faith groups, private sector businesses, volunteers, etc. to help provide labor, materials, or money to the cause – mostly through donations or fundraisers.

How many LTRCs?

There will be a total of 8. So far:
- Greater Greenbrier – consists of Greenbrier, Monroe, and Pocahontas Counties
- Greater Clay

How often do they meet? Where?

At least once a week.
Where they meet varies:
- Greater Clay – meets at the Risen Lord Catholic Church in Maysel
- Greater Greenbrier – West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg or at a middle school near Rainelle
Meeting locations and times are announced on their Facebook pages or by contacting directly.

Jefferson County Lunch Bus Finishes Up its First Year

In June, Lunch Buses hit the streets for the first time in Jefferson County. Two months later, the initiative comes to a close with hopes to expand next year.

For the last two months, buses brought meals, books, snacks, and activities to kids at two locations in Jefferson County. The goal was to bring free meals to kids 18 and younger who may not get steady meals over the summer since school is out. The initiative was also to encourage seniors and children to come together – forming community.

Senator John Unger, a Democrat from Berkeley County and a pastor at three churches, is the brains behind the Lunch Bus. He started the initiative as part of the Summer Intergenerational Food Services Program, which is part of the state’s Feed to Achieve Act. This statewide childhood hunger law seeks to improve academic performance by getting better nutrition to West Virginia kids.

The Lunch Bus was a brand new thing in Jefferson County this summer, and Unger says it was the first of its kind in West Virginia.

“So this time we added the Lunch Bus aspect to go out into those communities, not to bring the children and seniors to a certain spot, but to go where they live, into their communities and bring the meals and activities and the books and so forth,” Unger explained.

Meals were provided through donations from various organizations, such as the West Virginia Office of Child Nutrition, the US Department of Agriculture, and from a number of churches and non-profits in the area.

Unger says there were two Lunch Buses running Monday through Friday as well as a handful of other set locations where children could go and pick up meals. The two Lunch Buses saw around 50 kids each day, but all locations combined served around 150 kids daily.

Next year, Unger hopes the Lunch Bus idea is adopted all over the state.

“I know that there are remote areas that in the summer there are children that go hungry. There are children that are lonely up in those areas, and I’d like to see lunch buses go up into those hollers, and everywhere else to actually go to those children and those senior citizens that feel in some respects imprisoned in their homes, because they don’t have any way of coming out, but to bring them out and get them to know each other and to build those relationships that build a strong community.”

On Monday, students in Jefferson County will return to school, so the Lunch Buses won’t be running anymore, but Senator Unger hopes the kids remember the Lunch Bus and look forward to it next summer.

Lunch Buses Hit the Streets in Jefferson County

Senator John Unger hands out lunches to children in Jefferson County.

Lunch Buses started up Tuesday in Jefferson County bringing meals to children and seniors at designated locations. But on the first day, things didn’t go quite as planned.

The day began at North Jefferson Elementary School, but no kids showed up.

Senator John Unger, a Democrat from Berkeley County, is the brains behind the Lunch Bus, and he decided if the kids weren’t coming to the bus, he would take the food to them.

We drove into a nearby neighborhood. Principal Mary Ann Jenkins of North Jefferson Elementary seemed to know and remember each one of her students.

Senator Unger urged a handful of those students to come to the bus locations next time.

The Feed to Achieve Act, which is to improve academic performance by getting better nutrition, features its Summer Intergenerational Food Services Program. Lunch Buses are part of this initiative.

The program is aimed to bring free meals to children 18 and younger during summer break when those children might not get a steady meal since school is out. Any child can come get a lunch, no questions asked, and no sign-ups are necessary. Seniors and adults are welcome to eat as well, but seniors are asked to donate at least $2 if they can, while adults are asked to pay $5.

Senator Unger is also a pastor and says he was inspired to begin the Lunch Bus initiative from the parable of the loaves and fishes.

“So the concept of this is we are not just feeding children, but we’re also developing community around that little boy, around that little girl,” he explained, “That with that, we have seniors and children eating together, doing activities together along with volunteers, where if you ever put a senior and a child together, they both light up like Christmas trees.”

All meals arrive on a Lunch Bus, but it doesn’t just give out food. It also carries crates of library books for the kids to enjoy while they eat their lunch. The volunteers also have a number of other activities planned.

Unger says this initiative is the first of its kind in West Virginia.

On Fridays, Lunch Buses will offer backpack lunches to make sure the children have meals over the weekend.

Meals are provided through donations from various organizations, such as the West Virginia Office of Child Nutrition, the US Department of Agriculture, and from a number of churches and non-profits in the area.

Lunch Buses will run from June 16 through August 14, and be at each location from 12-1:30 p.m.

Monday – Friday:

North Jefferson Elementary School, 6996 Charles Town Road, Kearneysville, WV 25430
St. Andrew’s MCC, 58 Mission Road, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Bolivar United Methodist Church, 1215 W. Washington Street, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425

Tuesday and Thursday

St. John Lutheran Church, 950 W. Washington Street, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
Blue Ridge Volunteer Fire Hall, 181 Keys Gap Road, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425

Wednesday Only

Anna Mae Reedy Senior Center, 103 West 5^th Avenue, Ranson, WV 25438

W.Va. Senator Says Goverment Should Fund Health Monitoring

A top state senator wants West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin to use $10 million in reserves for health monitoring after chemicals spilled into 300,000 people’s water supply.

     Senate Majority John Unger wants the governor to tap into the state’s rainy day fund for the program. The last-resort fund of about $915 million is considered one of the nation’s strongest.

     The Berkeley County Democrat says county health officials, such as Dr. Rahul Gupta of Kanawha County, should help administer the monitoring. Gupta has said health tracking is needed after people had contact with the little-known chemical, crude MCHM.

     Little toxicity information is available about the chemicals that spilled Jan. 9. They were not considered hazardous by federal standards.

     A Tomblin spokeswoman didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment Friday.

State Senate Majority Leader: Governor's Bill Shields Chemical Industry

A West Virginia Senate leader thinks the governor’s proposal to prevent chemical spills caters to industry interests.

Senate Majority Leader John Unger says Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s bill doesn’t do enough to register and inspect above-ground storage tanks.

     Tomblin’s measure responds to Freedom Industries’ Jan. 9 spill, which contaminated the water supply for 300,000 people.

     Unger took issue with Tomblin’s bill on Tuesday because it regulates just above-ground tanks deemed too close to a water supply. It also would only regulate sites holding chemicals above a certain risk level.

     Unger is proposing regulation of all above-ground tanks.

     Unger says all of the state’s water needs to be protected. He says sites far from public water systems need to be regulated, since people in rural areas rely on wells using groundwater.

Water Resources Commission Launches Investigation Into Chemical Spill

Senate Majority Leader John Unger (D-Berkeley) announced today that the Joint Legislative Oversight Commission on State Water Resources, which he co-chairs, is launching an investigation into the recent chemical spill in Kanawha County that led to the ongoing contamination crisis.

“This whole series of events is unacceptable,” says Unger. “While the response to this crisis has been commendable, the Legislature is determined to work to ensure that this never happens again.”

The chemical spill, originating from the property of Freedom Industries along the Elk River, caused a nine county State of Emergency and a Do Not Use water order for over 300,000 West Virginians.

Majority Leader Unger says the Commission will also be looking at the state agencies responsible for oversight of these types of facilities.

“We want to find out how long this chemical was leaking and who knew about it, and if no one knew, why not. There will definitely be a change to the way things have been done in past.”

The Commission will be watching the situation closely. Majority Leader Unger will introduce legislation that provides oversight of these types of storage facilities and will protect our water resources.