Every June, communities across the country observe National Hunger Awareness Month. The timing is intentional. June marks the end of the school year and the beginning of summer, which for millions of children also means the sudden loss of the free or reduced-price meals they depend on every single day.
For CASA of the Eastern Panhandle, this issue is not abstract. The children we serve are among the most vulnerable in our region. Many are navigating the child welfare system, moving between placements, and facing a level of instability that most of us will never experience. Adding food insecurity on top of that is not a minor inconvenience. It is one more obstacle standing between a child and a stable future.
This month, we want to take a moment to shine a light on summer hunger, what it looks like here in West Virginia, and what each of us can do about it.
The Reality in West Virginia
West Virginia consistently ranks among the most food-insecure states in the nation. The Southern region of the United States, which includes West Virginia, carries the highest regional food insecurity rate in the country at 15.0 percent. For families already struggling to make ends meet, the end of the school year does not signal relief. It signals a crisis.
Nearly 30 million children nationwide rely on free or reduced-price school meals during the academic year. When school ends, that safety net disappears overnight.
Nationally, 14.1 million children live in food-insecure households. In West Virginia, that proportion is even higher. Many families in Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties are working multiple jobs, navigating single-parent households, and stretching limited resources as far as they can go. Summer removes one of the most reliable tools they have for keeping their children fed.
The children CASA-EP serves are especially at risk. Youth in the foster care system often lack the consistent home environment that makes accessing summer meal programs easier. Transportation, awareness, and stability all play a role in whether a child actually gets a meal when school is out.
The Programs Exist. The Problem Is Awareness.
Here is something that often surprises people. The federal infrastructure to feed children during the summer already exists. The Summer Food Service Program and the Seamless Summer Option were created specifically to fill the gap left when school meals stop. They are free, and in most cases, they are open to any child regardless of documentation or enrollment status.
And yet only about 15 out of every 100 eligible children actually access these programs. That is a participation rate of roughly 1 in 7, against a need that affects far more.
The most frequently cited reason eligible families do not participate is simple: they do not know the programs exist.
This is why National Hunger Awareness Month matters so much. Closing the summer meals gap is, in large part, an awareness problem. Families who know where to go can get their children fed. The challenge is getting that information into the right hands before summer slips by.
How This Connects to the Children We Serve
The children in CASA-EP’s care face compounding challenges. Food insecurity does not exist in isolation. Research consistently links hunger to higher rates of anxiety, developmental delays, and difficulty concentrating in school. For children already navigating trauma, abuse, and instability, hunger makes everything harder.
CASA volunteers are trained to see the whole child. They build relationships, gather information, and advocate for each child’s needs in court. For many of our advocates, that means staying alert to signs that a child is not getting enough to eat, connecting families to resources, and ensuring that basic needs are part of the conversation when decisions about a child’s future are made.
Food is a foundational need. When it is not met, everything else becomes harder to address.
What You Can Do This June
You do not have to solve the entire problem to make a meaningful difference. Here are a few ways to take action during National Hunger Awareness Month.
- Share information about local summer meal sites with families in your network. Use the USDA Summer Meals Site Finder to find locations near you.
- Volunteer with or donate to local food banks and summer nutrition programs serving Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties.
- Contact your state and local representatives to encourage full participation in federal summer meal programs. West Virginia’s level of participation in these programs directly affects how many children are reached.
- Spread awareness in your community, through social media, your workplace, your faith community, or your neighborhood.
- Support CASA-EP’s work with children who are navigating food insecurity alongside the many other challenges they face.
Every Child Deserves a Full Plate
Summer should be a time of freedom, exploration, and growth for every child. For too many young people in West Virginia, it is instead a season of uncertainty.
CASA of the Eastern Panhandle is committed to advocating for the whole child, and that means speaking up about the conditions that affect their health, stability, and future. Hunger is one of those conditions.
This June, we encourage our community to learn, share, and act. Together, we can make sure that no child in our region goes without a meal simply because school is out.
To learn more about CASA-EP’s work and how you can get involved, visit mycasaep.org.
