Local church continues food distributions despite challenges
- 1 day ago
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Local church continues food distributions despite challenges
Robert Fields | WVOW News
LOGAN Despite challenges facing Nighbert Memorial United Methodist Church, volunteers and community partners continue working to keep its food pantry serving Logan County residents.
The pantry, which has operated for nearly two decades, distributes thousands of pounds of food through weekly outreach and its third-Monday drive-thru distribution.
Facing Hunger Foodbank CEO Cindy Kirkhart recently visited the pantry for the monthly distribution and praised Nighbert Memorial’s long-standing partnership with the food bank.
“They've been such trusted pantry partners with us for so long and really have gone above and beyond the traditional pantry,” Kirkhart said.
She said the church’s willingness to provide food and a community meal to people in need is particularly significant in Logan County.
The pantry typically distributes between 5,000 and 7,000 pounds of food during its distributions. Kirkhart said the latest event exceeded that amount, with about 250 households served in a short period.
The distribution brought together volunteers from Nighbert Memorial, Facing Hunger, the local recovery community and U.S. Senator Jim Justice’s office. Seven members of Justice’s team participated in the distribution as part of a visit to West Virginia.
Kirkhart said Justice has supported efforts to feed West Virginians since serving as governor and was the first governor to put food banks in the state budget. She also noted Justice’s family connection to Logan, saying his uncle, Posey Perry, volunteered at Huff Creek Food Pantry.
Kirkhart said Justice’s team chose to participate to serve people directly.
“I think that he's leading by example to go out and talk to people and see the people in need and understand how hard people are trying to get out of their circumstances,” she said.
The large turnout also provided an example of the community support that has helped Nighbert Memorial continue its mission despite declining church membership. Kirkhart said she could not speak for the food pantry about its challenges, but acknowledged that church membership has declined across the country.
She said Monday’s turnout was encouraging.
“To have so many volunteers to show up to provide food to their neighbors and to do so with full commitment to we'll go until the food's gone is remarkable,” Kirkhart said.
Volunteers included members of the recovery community, Facing Hunger employees and seven high school students. Kirkhart said members of the recovery community were particularly eager to give back and support others.
She also recalled meeting a veteran who drove another person to the distribution.
“One gentleman was a veteran, and he said, ‘The Lord has blessed me. I don't need anything, but I'm making sure that my neighbors are able to access food,’” Kirkhart said.
Some residents arrived at the church as early as 3 a.m. to make sure they would have access to the available food.
Feeding America estimates about 17% of adults and 20% of children in Logan County face food insecurity.
Kirkhart said food insecurity also affects people who are working.
“Eighty-nine percent of the people we serve are working, unemployed or underemployed people,” she said.
The challenges facing Nighbert Memorial include declining church membership, but Kirkhart said the recent turnout should be viewed as a reason for hope.
“I think so,” Kirkhart said when asked whether the church should see the community response as a sign not to give up.
Church membership is declining nationwide, data from this year showing a drop in church attendance in the United States from 42% in 2000 to about 30% in 2026. That struggle is exacerbated for the United Methodist Church following a rift in the denomination. The church saw a split over the acceptance of members of the LGBTQ+ community as both members of the church and as pastors. By 2025, over 7,600 congregations had left the UMC, many of those having formed the new Global Methodist Church.
Fewer congregations in the United Methodist Church means less funding for the United Methodist Foundation, the central agency that provides grants, loans and endowment opportunities to churches within the UMC.
With that agency receiving less funding, the effects from that ripple out to local churches, including Nighbert Memorial, which is situated in a large building made up of three sections constructed from 1913 to the 1960s. There have been discussions within the church of a possible need to downsize in order to maintain operations.
Despite those challenges, Nighbert Memorial’s food pantry continues to provide food through its weekly outreach and monthly distribution, with volunteers and community partners helping sustain the effort.
The church hosts a food pantry every third Monday of the month. A free community dinner takes place every Wednesday evening at the church starting at 4:30 p.m.
Moreover, the church has an agreement with Misfit Ministries, led by Marti Dolin, who holds a free community meal every Monday, Tuesday and Friday in front of the State of West Virginia building between Main and Stratton streets in downtown Logan. Should those events get rained out, the group moves those community meals to Nighbert Memorial.
PHOTO | Nighber United Methodist
