MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A new program created by a Berkeley County teen is off the ground in an to combat hunger in the North Central Region.
Hunger Hurts- Lend A Hand is taking off on it’s maiden voyage with the opening of what is called a “Helping Handbox” at Mason-Dixon Park this weekend. This will kick-off a library book box like program that allows you to donate or take non-perishable food items at certain locations at anytime. With “Helping Handboxes,” it turns what could be a 45 minute drive to a food pantry to a simple drop in a box at a place you might be regularly going to anyways.
“I put it at the Mason-Dixon Park because it’s easily accessible to people in my community,” said Miss Berkeley County’s Outstanding Teen Lauren Rose. “And it’s been attracting a lot of visitors recently because of new trails and activity,” she said.
The idea, came from a rather simple concept, to help people who are less fortunate. This was expanded upon with the thought of turning the concept of book boxes and into an opportunity to make the services of local food pantries more accessible. The concept, expanded some more as members of her community along with organizations such as Pantry Plus More contributing materials and non-perishable food gave Rose enough material to create the inaugural “Helping Handbox” in Mason Dixon Park.
“I mean people who donate, people can donate to the box and put food in anytime they like but Pantry Plus More is the solid, always going to have food available,” said Rose explaining how the Helping Handbox would
The ultimate goal for Hunger Hurts-Lend A Hand, is to try and fight a problem that is very prevalent in the North Central Region. While Monongalia County is relatively safe from hunger woes that surround West Virginia, counties like Berkeley, Preston County and others surrounding it are very much in the weeds of a crisis that sees one out of every four children not receiving adequate food. The hope, is that through instant accessibility, stigmas associated with the hunger crisis can be avoided.
“A lot of times it’s just simply bad luck,” said Rose on WAJR’s Talk of the Town. “I mean you lose a job, you don’t have enough extra money to put healthy nutritious meals on the table for your kids and I think that kids can’t help it so I want this to be a way to have a little lifeline, something to back them up,” she said.
Still in it’s early infant stages, Hunger Hurts-Lend A Hand only has a box set up at Mason-Dixon Park. The hope is that with continued community involvement and more recognition, the idea can expand to other places across the state. One opportunity that Rose hopes to use to build the platform is the Miss West Virginia’s Outstanding Teen Pageant which would at the minimum give extra exposure to Hunger Hurts-Lend A Hand on a statewide level.
“My goal is to win Miss West Virginia’s Outstanding Teen at the end of this month,” she said. “And then, I will be able to partner with all the local titleholders throughout the state and place a Helping Handbox in all the different areas in need,” she said.