United Food Operation (UFO) will begin its 2024 food distribution program this winter on Friday, January 12. The group is currently seeking financial support from businesses and individuals in Kanawha and Putnam counties to help underwrite the cost of the distributions.

The January 12 kick off event will be held at the UFO distribution center in the Institute Industrial Park. The food distribution program will continue for 12 weeks or until the funds run out, which ever comes first.

Last week, area food pantry representatives at the group’s annual organizational meeting noted that demand for food increased sharply this year due to decreased federal family food benefits, one which had been in place to help out during the COVID pandemic.

UFO’s leader, Elaine Harris, said the organization is committed to raising additional funds to support the increased need for food in the community. UFO board of directors members Matt Harris, of COVESTRO, and Joseph Davenport, of West Virginia State University, are leading the outreach to area business and industry seeking support for UFO’s 2024 food distribution programs.

Businesses may make direct donations, sponsor a fundraising activity, or may sponsor an entire week of food distributions. Persons interested in exploring a fundraising activity or to obtain more information on food insecurity in the region should contact Elaine Harris at (304) 342-2023.

UFO distributes food for families and individuals in Kanawha and Putnam counties of West Virginia through 12 participating community food pantries. UFO is all-volunteer based and operates from warehouse space donated by Altivia at Institute, WV. Last week’s UFO-2024 organization meeting was hosted by COVESTRO South Charleston.

A recently updated listing of UFO participating food pantries can be found on the UFO website at this link: unitedfoodoperation.org/participating-food-pantries/

Since 1992, United Food Operation has distributed food to the needy each winter. UFO never charges the food pantries for any of the food it provides them. UFO is a cooperative charitable program led by organized labor and industries in the Charleston region of the Kanawha Valley.

Eight o’clock Tuesday morning came and food pantry trucks began lining up at the United Food Operation, Inc. (UFO) warehouse in Institute, WV.

By 9:00 A.M. most all the food had been loaded into pantry vehicles and sent off help needy families in the region.

Food pantries across Kanawha and Putnam counties were excited to receive the bounty from the local Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, conducted last Saturday by National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 531 (NALC) along with the United States Postal Service

This year’s bounty from the food drive weighed in at 12,000 pounds—or 6 tons—of non-perishable foods, which will be put to use serving families across Putnam and Kanawha counties.

“We’re so thankful for the generosity of all the people who donated food to the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive,” said UFO Chair Elaine Harris, “And we’re also thankful for all the letter carriers and volunteers who helped in this fantastic effort.

“The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is such a beautiful thing. It works so well. I tip my hat to the NALC and to everybody who makes it possible.”

UFO works with 12 independent food panties that distribute the foods in their service areas. UFO is an all-volunteer organization, established over 40 years ago, to raise funds and collect donated food to help families and individuals with food security in Kanawha and Putnam counties. List of food pantries working with UFO

WV National Guard helps out

Harris also passed along her appreciation for the West Virginia National Guard and its members who helped on Saturday loading and trucking food from outlying post offices to the Main Charleston Post Office, where it was consolidated for shipping to UFO’s warehouse.

We love out food pantry people

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On May 13, tons of non-perishable foods were collected during the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive in the Charleston, WV region. United Food Operation (UFO) leaders called it a success for which they are thankful.

The generous donations from postal patrons across the Kanawha Valley area will be put to use quickly in supplying food pantries across Kanawha and Putnam counties. The Stamp Out Hunger food drive has annually been an important boost to food charities in our region.

NALC makes important donation

United Food Operation, Inc. is happy to partner again with the NALC in sorting and distributing the donated food, which will be sent out to area food pantries on Tuesday. Twelve geographically-distributed independent food pantries in the Kanawha Valley will receive the foods at no cost.

To further assist Charleston area food security efforts this year, the National Association of Letter Carriers national office matched a $2,000 donation by NALC Branch 531. The $4,000 total will be used by United Food Operation to purchase additional food to distribute to food pantries.

Stamp Out Hunger involves lots of folks

On Stamp Out Hunger Day, residents around the region set out donations of non-perishable foods next to their mail boxes. The food is then collected by their USPS letter carriers as they deliver mail. The letter carriers take the food to central post office facilities at the end of their routes.

With the assistance of volunteers from the West Virginia National Guard, the food is taken from outlying post offices to the main post office in downtown Charleston. The food is consolidated into large bins, which at the end of the day are delivered to United Food Operation’s warehouse in Institute, WV.

Working at the Charleston Main Post Office on Saturday were NALC members along with UFO leaders, and volunteers from local charities. NALC Local 531 provided pizza and soft drinks to volunteers helping aggregate the foods on Saturday. That gesture was greatly appreciated.

United Food Operation helping since 1981

United Food Operation, Inc. is an all-volunteer food bank serving 12 food pantries in Kanawha and Putnam counties. UFO is funded with donated monies from area businesses, AFL-CIO affiliated union members and other workers and citizens of the Kanawha Valley area, along with small grants and contracts from government agencies.

UFO operates from donated warehouse space provided by Altivia Chemical at the Institute Industrial Park, and utilizes donated equipment from MH Rents. Together these things keep operational costs at a bare minimum and allow food purchases to be maximized.

PHOTO GALLERY

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The 40th year of food distribution began today at the United Food Operation, Inc. (UFO) warehouse in Institute, WV. Six food pantries from Kanawha and Putnam Counties loaded up today with a variety of staple foods at no cost to them. Four more pantries will pick up food Saturday. These are foods that will help serve hundreds of needy families in areas of Kanawha and Putnam counties.

UFO chairperson Elaine Harris said she is so happy to open up the warehouse this year, after it took a COVID year off in 2021. She observed that with the federal pandemic relief payments to families and individuals now completed, local food pantries will likely be seeing a rise in the need for food this winter. Higher heating bills are also expected to put a strain on family budgets.

Harris singled out the program’s landlord, Altivia corporation, for a special thank you for its continuation of the lease for the warehouse space at $1 per year. She said having a regular warehouse space means so much to the program, which in some past years past had to scramble to obtain space to work out of. Finding donated space is also extremely important to the all-volunteer organization so it can continue spending the dollar donations it receives on food.

Others receiving special thanks this winter included MH Equipment of Cross Lanes for donating use of a fork lift.

UFO never charges food panties for the food they receive. Over its 40 year history, the program has given local food pantries hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of foods at no cost.

Beyond private donations from employers, union members, and individuals, UFO receives some funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Harris said the FEMA dollars were especially helpful over the past two years when it was difficult to conduct private fundraising drives due to the pandemic. She also lauded the help of Charleston’s Mountain Mission for the assistance it provided last year to UFO food distributions. We couldn’t have done it without them, she said.

Thursday-Friday-Saturday

Every Thursday a truckload of food, which has beer ordered earlier in the week, is picked up from Bigley Piggly Wiggly in Charleston and delivered to the UFO warehouse. A crew and truck provided by the Greenwood company of Institute/S. Charleston handle this chore at no charge to UFO. Their donation of this service is very appreciated.

Every Friday morning, volunteers sort this food, plus any other that has been donated, and organize it into pallet loads for each participating food pantry.

Every Saturday morning, food pantries pick up their food at the warehouse.

Food and $ donations sought

UFO is seeking donations to support the winter food distributions. Donations can be made by check through the mail or by credit card on the program website at unitedfoodoperation.org. The more funding it receives, the more food it can purchase for the pantries.

Businesses, organizations, churches, and community groups are encouraged to consider conducting a food and/or fund drive for UFO this winter. Contact Elaine Harris at 304-342-2023 for more information. The 2022 winter program runs through the first week of April.