Mountaineer Food Bank brings mobile pantry to War Tuesday

Families in War will have a two-hour window Tuesday to pick up groceries when Mountaineer Food Bank brings its mobile pantry to Rocket Boys Drive from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The distribution is first come, first served while supplies last, offering a practical stop for households in War and nearby communities that may otherwise have to drive out of the county for basic food.

Mountaineer Food Bank says its mobile pantry program is designed for food deserts where access is limited or scarce. The pantry can provide fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy products and baked goods, a mix that can help families stretch paychecks and cover gaps between regular shopping trips. A past McDowell County event page on the food bank’s site listed a limit of one food box per vehicle, a detail that underscores how quickly these local giveaways can draw demand.

Questions about future giveaways or volunteer opportunities can go to 304-364-5518, the number listed for volunteer coordinator Melissa England. The food bank says volunteers may help inspect and sort food, pack boxes and clean, depending on the need at each site.

The stop comes as McDowell County continues to face heavy food-access pressure. The county’s population was 19,111 in the 2020 Census, and the latest Census Bureau profile lists a median household income of $31,559 and an employment rate of 24.9%. Feeding America estimated that 3,510 county residents were food insecure in 2021, or 18.2% of the population, with an annual food budget shortfall of $2,073,000 and an average meal cost of $3.34. Those figures help explain why a short visit from a mobile pantry can matter so much in a county where every trip for groceries can carry extra cost.

War itself had a population of 628, making the town a small but strategic stop for a county-wide distribution. For families in southern McDowell County, the pantry offers a closer option and can reduce the need to spend time and fuel traveling for staples. Mountaineer Food Bank says it is the largest emergency food provider in West Virginia and distributes more than 19 million meals a year across 48 of the state’s 55 counties. The organization says its county placement decisions depend on funding, food resources, community partner support and, above all, food access.