GoFundMe launched to fight student food insecurity in McDowell County

A GoFundMe campaign launched in late February aims to reduce student food insecurity in McDowell County Schools by supporting the volunteer-run Five Loaves & Two Fishes food bank and school-based help programs, organizers say. The campaign was publicized locally on Feb. 25 and lists its goal as $6,000 on the fundraising page.

Organizers include Karl Von Roenn, who recently moved to Welch to support the McDowell County School District, and co-organizer Nicci Luu. WVVA reported that "Von Roenn said he quickly realized that many children in the area face significant challenges before entering the classroom." Von Roenn is quoted in WVVA saying, "When students arrive at school hungry, meeting their most basic needs takes precedence over learning. [...] The children of McDowell County deserve the same opportunities and quality of life as any other child, and addressing food insecurity is a critical place to start."

The fundraiser is presented on GoFundMe under the title "Reducing Food Insecurity in McDowell County, WV." The campaign description and WVVA coverage say the money will fund meals for students, weekend backpack programs that supply food for weekends, and broader support for school-based help programs alongside Five Loaves & Two Fishes.

Fundraising tallies differ across source snapshots. WVVA reported, "As of Tuesday, the campaign had raised $1,120 from 14 donations toward its goal." A separate GoFundMe snapshot shows "$4,425 raised of $6K" with "Donations40" and "Co-organizers3." The two figures come from different source captures and are reported here exactly as presented in those sources.

WVVA notes that "Von Roenn encourages anyone interested in supporting the cause to donate or share the fundraiser link with others," and the article includes the line, "You can donate by clicking here." The GoFundMe page capture includes platform messaging such as "Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help" and highlights the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee, along with menu options reading "Donate", "Fundraise", and "About."

As the campaign seeks to reach the $6,000 goal, organizers emphasize immediate needs for meals and weekend food support in McDowell County Schools and for the volunteer-run Five Loaves & Two Fishes food bank. The WVVA article is copyrighted 2026, and organizers continue to solicit donations and shares to expand support for students facing food insecurity in Welch and across McDowell County.