The Greenbrier County Health Alliance (GCHA) and Wellspring Inc. are conducting a food security survey in Greenbrier County. According to data from Bread for the World, food insecurity in West Virginia averaged 14 percent in 2023. That makes WV the fourth hungriest state in the nation.
Per data from the WV Department of Education, more than 1 in 5 school-aged children in WV live in a household that is food insecure with more than 67 percent of school children qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Information from Feeding America reports that 277,720 people face hunger in WV with 71,140 of them being children.
GCHA and Wellspring are trying to get a snapshot of hunger and food insecurity in Greenbrier County, and they have targeted four different populations from which to glean this information. Those are: community members, food producers, community leaders, and feeding services/meal providers. Residents of Greenbrier County ages 18 and over are being asked to participate in one or more anonymous surveys. There are less than 10 questions on each survey, and the links to the respective surveys can be found by going to www.greenbriercountyhealthalliance.org and clicking the appropriate link(s). (Some people may fit into more than one category. For example, a person may be a local farmer or meat producer but also participate in a community feeding program. If that is the case, residents are encouraged to complete both the food producer survey and the feeding service/meal provider survey).
There are different questions on the different surveys, and organizers want to get as broad a response as possible. Surveys will be collected in September and October 2025, and the information generated from these surveys will be put on an asset map to determine whether food deserts exist, where they are located, and what resources are in place to address food insecurity in Greenbrier County. Those who complete the survey may choose to be placed in a drawing for a $25 Wal-Mart gift card, and all county residents are encouraged to participate.
