The Loaves and Fishes Outreach Center for Catholic Charities West Virginia has introduced its new Choice Food Pantry initiative. When people pick up their meals in Hinton on Fridays, they can choose from a variety of items.
Matt Atwood is the Southern Regional Director of Catholic Charities West Virginia. He told 59News that they help consumers choose healthier foods if they want to.
“We also intend to provide services for persons with special needs, such as sugar-free solutions for diabetics. That is just [another] issue we will focus on in the future: determining what the needs are and how we can help meet those needs. Specialty foods are more expensive when purchased from a grocery store. So we’d like to be able to help individuals get those things,” Atwood added.
Atwood explained that this time of year can be more challenging for some than others.
“We do see people who have seasonal employment who may have less income during the cold months if they cannot get out and work,” Atwood told me. “We aid throughout the holidays. We provide special meal handouts around the holidays to assist people with Christmas and Thanksgiving. I understand that if those resources are exhausted, or after the holidays, some people may require more assistance.”
Although this food bank is part of a Catholic charity, you do not need to be Catholic to receive aid from them. These services are open to anyone.
“We have income guidelines for many of our services. We rarely turn someone away who is in need of food. Atwood added that while they want to assist everyone, there are income limitations and a short application process for pantry recipients.
Loaves and Fishes is more than simply a food pantry; it also operates a thrift store where people can browse for donated products.
