By Alison Bunting
tribune correspondent
KEYSER — Harold Walters knows as well as anyone how much work it takes to run the local food pantry.
Walters is the director of Faith in Action, which offers clothing as well as food to those in need. The food pantry is part of Faith in Action's services.
“We're becoming quite a big operation,” Walters said, noting that 305 orders for food came in this past month. In August there were 284.
A portion of the food supply comes from the Mountaineer Food Bank in Gasaway, which is delivered by truck as far as the Burlington Volunteer Fire Department.
Workers from the Mineral County Day Report Center help to unload the food and re-load it onto the truck and trailer furnished by the report center to be delivered to Keyser.
“It's been coming in by the hundreds of pounds,” said Judy Young, president of the board that oversees the Day Report Center.
“This is community people working together to help people,” Young said.
The food pantry also purchases food from Martin's, Young said. Again, this food is loaded and delivered by clients from the report center.
Walters said the “baseball boys” from Potomac State College and the football team from Keyser High School also volunteer to help load and unload the food.
What doesn't fit in the pantry itself has to be carried to the attic of the building where Faith in Action is located on Center Street.
Tara Hockaday, director of the Mineral County Day Report Center, said the community service workers currently are also doing litter control out in the county.
Any non-profit organization in the county may call upon the Day Report Center to request manpower, Hockaday said. “We are more than willing to help.”
