Lucas Adcock
Staff Writer
Food insecurity doesn’t mean that everyone goes hungry all the time. In fact, it’s defined as “limited or uncertain access to adequate food.” This could entail skipping meals, for example, or the inability to afford a balanced meal. But regardless of its definition, the people of West Virginia are battling with it, 15 percent of the entire state to be exact. For children specifically, that rate is 20 percent.
Pocahontas County, is known for abundance – forest, wildlife, tourism – so why do so many residents struggle to access basic groceries? Mobile food pantries are vital for some here in our beautiful county, but for these programs to be needed on a regular basis should make us ask – Why?
The Mountaineer Food Bank (MFB) being one positive example of the assistance that so many people receive. This program does an amazing job at providing groceries to those who need them. This kind of program is typically deployed in places where grocery access is limited, either due to distance, transportation barriers, or winter weather challenges. That being said, is there simply a factor of these three types of “barriers” that keeps residents of West Virginia on the back burner for basic grocery needs?
The MFB is the largest provider in the state, delivering millions of meals annually through a network of partner pantries. But this program also faces resource challenges as demand increases under economic pressures, making their role even more critical. For residents all over the state, food access shouldn’t feel seasonal or conditional, but sometimes it does feel like that. Sometimes it feels exactly like that. And if it weren’t for programs such as Harvest House Food Pantry, Northern Pocahontas Food Pantry, Pocahontas County Senior Citizens Centers, Pocahontas Cooperative Parish, to name a few, many residents would be in the dark on basic grocery needs for themselves and their families. These programs have the utmost value in our community, but they reveal a deeper problem. Does reliance on mobile food solutions normalize this scarcity? The controversial answer is – it shouldn’t. But for many, that’s what it feels like. Ironically, though, some of the largest food systems in the state are mobile. And yet transportation is the quiet driver of food insecurity.
Here in our beautiful mountains, there’s limited public transportation. The grocery stores? Most of us drive at least 30 minutes to one. And what of the aging population, not only here in Pocahontas County, but all over West Virginia, who are unable to make these long drives – especially in the winter months when driving is much more dangerous? Food insecurity for this older population is arguably more about mobility than money during the changing seasons.
As we head deeper into the winter months of 2026, however, money becomes even more of a factor: higher heating costs for some that reduce grocery budgets, fixed incomes stretched thinner, weather-limiting travel and delivery options. Thus, a more dire need for these mobile pantry solutions.
And these programs? They’re vital. And they all have a schedule. So, what does this tell us?
Well, for one thing, it highlights the excellence in community care, but also a massive systemic gap. This shouldn’t be surprising, but it should concern us to some degree. With that, a few questions arise for us to simmer on: should access to food depend on grant cycles and volunteers? Why is food access treated differently than roads, utilities or broad- band? What happens if funding dries up or if volunteers burn out? These aren’t fear-mongering questions, but actual reality. As for Pocahontas County, our neighbors are family, and family helps each other in times of need. And of the state of West Virginia? What would true food security look like in our beautiful state? Conversations and questions like this matter before policy does, because without them, policy change will not occur. Acknowledgement. Attention to the problem…
That is the first step.
Lucas Adcock may be contacted at lucasadcock@pocahontatimes.com
Lucas Adcock also writes under the pen name of L. A. Porter.
