BUCKHANNON — A flurry of visitors and volunteers entered the Upshur County Parish House as early autumn sunlight warmed the white rocking chairs on the porch.
It’s just after 8 a.m., and it’s busy.
Inside, a bustling waiting room held those seeking help with their bills. Back in the kitchen, volunteers prepared lunches for residents to take home.
Upstairs, parents were getting formula and diapers for their newborns. In the basement, volunteers prepared to hand out canned goods, frozen meals and bread for families.
As the house filled with visitors, Executive Director Isaac Casto said the charity is expanding to reach residents in other parts of the county and serving a growing number of families.
“We’re really proud that we’re able to help, but it’s also sad,” he said. “We realize that the more we’re expanding, the only reason that’s happening is because people are hurting.”
Mountain State Spotlight visited Upshur County as part of our initiative to talk to voters in all 55 counties in the lead-up to the 2024 election. In each county, reporters are asking a simple question: What do you want to hear candidates talking about as they compete for votes?
Residents said they need the public education system fixed, more investment in social services for those in poverty and facing hunger and a plan to combat rising costs.
The Parish House has been working to feed hungry children in county schools, especially after programs such as a weekend lunch program were cut last year.
“We understand that for a lot of the students, having breakfast and lunch at school is the only guaranteed meal that they have,” said Casto, a former teacher.
More social services are needed
Across the street from the Parish House, is West Virginia Wesleyan College’s Center for Community Engagement and Leadership Development.
The center connects students with volunteer opportunities to work in schools and community centers on issues like poverty and hunger.
Sienna Chenoweth, a sophomore studying biology, said there were not enough resources funneled into education or social services throughout the county. Chenoweth works on a team addressing poverty with other students and volunteers in Buckhannon.
“We have more and more people who are food insecure and struggling to make ends meet, even with two jobs,” she said.
About a 20-minute drive south, outside the IGA grocery store in Rock Cave, Virginia Ables took a break from her job as an office assistant. She’s worked there for 16 years and lived in the area for three and a half decades.
It’s a safe and peaceful community, she said. Like many places, there are some problems with drugs, but in 35 years, she hasn’t locked her door once.
Ables said she’d like to see candidates talk about the economy and what they plan to do about rising costs. Prices have gone “sky high” at the grocery store, and business has slowed down.
“People just buy basics that they have to buy,” she said. “They don’t splurge much.”
Stronger investment in public education
Freshman nursing student Matthew Hatfield volunteers at nearby Tennerton Elementary School. On Fridays, he puts together food bags for students to take home and said there are always extra kids who ask for food.
“So many kids come in hungry,” he said.
Hear from the candidates
Hatfield, a native of Oceana, said he’s worried about West Virginia’s steadily aging population and is torn about whether to stay in the state after he graduates.
His family is here, but there are limited opportunities. He wants to see what’s out there but doesn’t know if he could leave a state that he loves so much.
“It’s like a teeter-totter,” he said, adding that his best idea right now is to be a travel nurse for a few years to make money before settling down back home.
Coming to Wesleyan has been a big transition for Hatfield. He said his high school education wasn’t very rigorous and he hopes elected officials will make sure that the next generation of kids fares better.
“I really do think we need to focus on the education system — more that prepares us for college,” he said.
Jess Vincent, director of the the Center, said students are underprepared for college courses because educators have struggled with limited resources.
In 2022, Upshur County voters rejected a Board of Education levy that would have provided millions of dollars in increased funding for the district. She said after-school programs, jobs and bus services have been cut as a result.
“If students can’t even get out of the county, especially on a field trip, how are they ever going to think about college?” she said.
Lexi de Coning, communications professor, said that over nine years at Wesleyan, she’s seen significant changes with first-year students and education funding is the largest factor.
“Education and poverty are interrelated,” she said. “The literacy rates of my students have decreased dramatically. I’m having to give more leeway with assignments and deadlines.”
History and political science student Ian Wychoff said he came to Wesleyan because its small size reminded him of growing up in nearby Weston. As he thinks about whether to stay in West Virginia after graduation, he knows he wants to be in a place small enough to make a difference. He wants a place where he is one of thousands instead of one of millions.
“It’s a better chance I can actually help and actually do something,” he said.
Trey Greer, a political science and criminal justice student, said that he’s frustrated by the extreme polarization in politics. After college, he plans to attend law school and hopes to one day become a state lawmaker.
But for current candidates, he wants to know what their positive vision is for West Virginia and the state’s future. “What hope can you provide for West Virginians now?”
