At his first State of the State address in 2017, Gov. Jim Justice brought an ax and tackle box, explaining that he had met an older woman along a Wyoming County roadside selling anything she could to get by. This was also my first State of the State after being elected to the House of Delegates, and I was awestruck to watch the address in person that I had seen for years on TV. I remember well the governorÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s revelation that ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI carry the tackle box and ax every day. I canÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t stand how good we are and how troubled we are and how many people are hurting.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
The last six years in office have taught me that we do, in fact, still have many people hurting, particularly when it comes to hunger. According to the latest data from Feeding America, 1 in 8 West Virginians, and 1 in 6 West Virginia kids, are ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œfood insecure,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ meaning that they lack reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food.
Since that address, Gov. Justice has clearly kept his commitment to helping those who are hurting. He was the first governor to include West VirginiaÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s two food banks as a budget line item, and recently he announced this will continue for a third consecutive year. Additionally, he has successfully fought to increase funding for the Department of EducationÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Backpack Program and the Bureau of Senior ServicesÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ Senior Nutrition Program.
During the pandemic, Gov. Justice oversaw the delivery of over 1 million meals per week and directed executive agencies to maximize available help for West Virginians. When the SNAP Stretch Program, which ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œstretchesÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ the use of SNAP benefits at local farmersÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ markets, exhausted its annual funding by mid-year, he stepped in with funding through December. The next year, he followed with additional grant funding to expand Medically Indicated Food Boxes (MIFB), helping those with diabetes, hypertension, end-stage renal disease and other health issues, while also managing health care costs.
As co-chair of Speaker Roger HanshawÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s bipartisan House Food Insecurity Work Group, I heard time and again about the need to invest in the infrastructure of our food distribution system. At the end of last year, Gov. Justice delivered yet again with $7,250,000 from CARES Act funding to battle hunger in the Mountain State. This allowed critical physical plant expansion of not only the West Virginia National GuardÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s cold storage facility but both food banks as well. Finally, in an unprecedented reach into the trenches, direct assistance went to the feeding programs of West VirginiaÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s rescue missions and over 600 food pantries.
While there is more than enough discord in politics, no hungry West Virginian cares whether help comes from this party or that party. Caring for our neighbors transcends politics, and the record reflects real progress over the last six years since Governor JusticeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s 2017 address. I can only wish that the struggling lady who sold her tackle box and ax to the governor years ago would know the difference that encounter has made, and will continue to make, in the lives of so many West Virginians.
Chad Lovejoy, D-Cabell, is a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates.
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