McDowell County Food Bank Serves Residents Through Faith-Based Mission Since 2009

Five Loaves & Two Fishes Food Bank in Kimball has distributed non-perishable food, hygiene products, and household goods to McDowell County families every year since 2009, operating entirely on volunteer labor and donor-funded overhead while serving one of the most food-insecure regions in the country.

Bob and Linda McKinney run the faith-based 501(c)3 organization, which holds monthly food distributions described as "critical to sustaining families in an area that have fallen on hard times." The scale of that need came into sharp relief in 2015, when Five Loaves & Two Fishes served 3,753 families comprising 10,263 individuals, a figure fundraising appeals note represented nearly 50 percent of the county's population at the time.

The pantry's model is deliberately designed around what it cannot provide as much as what it can. Because Five Loaves is unable to stock fresh, perishable foods, the non-perishables and household goods it distributes free up families to spend their other benefits and income at the grocery store for produce and meat.

Despite that efficient structure, with all overhead expenses historically covered by corporate and private donations and no paid staff on payroll, demand has outpaced supply. Job losses across McDowell County pushed the number of assistance requests so high that the food bank was forced to turn people away. A fundraising appeal identified $25,000 as the amount needed to keep the pantry's doors open for one additional year and sustain its response to the surge in requests, calling the situation "dire."

A separate GoFundMe campaign, organized by Karl Von Roenn and co-organizer Nicci Luu, drew attention to student hunger specifically. Von Roenn, who relocated to Welch to work with the McDowell County School District, launched the campaign after observing children arriving at school without having eaten. "When students arrive at school hungry, meeting their most basic needs takes precedence over learning," the campaign stated. That fundraiser surpassed its original goal, with donations exceeding $4,000 and continuing to climb, a result organizers called an "incredible milestone" supported by donors from across the region and beyond.

Visibility has helped. A feature on "60 Minutes" brought national attention to Five Loaves and McDowell County, and the subsequent wave of donations positioned the pantry to feed students and families through the end of the current school year. The GoFundMe organizers confirmed that any additional dollars raised beyond the original goal will fund a summer meal program, with families receiving extra bags of food through the warmer months until those donations are exhausted.

Five Loaves & Two Fishes has also been featured on "Returning the Favor," Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown," and the "Hollow Documentary," each bringing the county's food insecurity to wider audiences. The organization has maintained its faith-based identity throughout, noting that its 501(c)3 status makes all donations tax deductible. Those wishing to learn more about supporting the McKinneys' work can reach the organization at meals.for.mcdowell@gmail.com.