Volunteers from WVU Medicine packed boxes of food at the Preston County Workshop building as part of the United Way’s Day of Caring on Nov. 4. The food, purchased with a grant from the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust, will be used to feed 201 families at Thanksgiving, according to Servando Arredondo, engagement manager for the United Way of Preston and Monongalia Counties.
“The food packed by this team of WVU Medicine volunteers will be making its way to the hands of the people that need it the most,” Arredondo said. “Wadestown Food Pantry in Mon County will be the primary recipient, as well as the Food for Preston group out of Preston County. With the volunteers’ help, we were able to get 201 boxes packed for the community [on Nov. 4].”
For a photo gallery of the Day of Caring effort, click here.
Food pantries in West Virginia reported a 53 percent increase in food requests during the pandemic, according to a Helpful Harvest website.
“The United Way of Monongalia and Preston Counties has worked with 34 organizations and individual volunteers to distribute the food directly to people who may not be able to leave their home,” Arredondo said. “As a result of this grant, we have been able to leverage nearly half a million dollars in donated food to further build this Helpful Harvest program.”
For more details on how to support the United Way as a donor or volunteer, click here. Details include a prize raffle to further support the campaign.