Chad Morrison, CEO of Mountaineer Food Bank, and Laura Phillips, Mountaineer Food Bank team member, will present “Hunger in West Virginia: Understanding the Causes, Impacts and Solutions to Food Insecurity” at 2:30 Wednesday (Sept. 3) on Zoom.
One in six of our neighbors struggles with hunger in West Virginia, a challenge that touches every community. Children, seniors and veterans are the most vulnerable and are often the hardest hit, with long-lasting consequences on health, education and economic stability.
Hunger is more than the absence of food, it is a barrier to thriving lives and thriving communities.
The Mountaineer Food Bank partners with more than 600 local agencies to reduce hunger across the state. Through food distribution, community programs and advocacy, it works to ensure that no West Virginian goes to bed hungry. Together, we can address the causes of food insecurity and build solutions that strengthen families and communities across West Virginia.
Morrison lives on a cattle farm in Braxton County with his wife and two daughters. He became CEO of Mountaineer Food Bank in 2015, following an early career in food banking where he held key roles in food sourcing, grant writing and leading the Mobile Food Pantry program.
A 2004 graduate of WVU, he was honored as the Eberly College Outstanding Alumnus in 2022. He recently completed a three-year term as chair of the Mid-Atlantic Region of Feeding America, where he worked closely with the USDA on regional hunger relief efforts.
Phillips has been a member of the Mountaineer Food Bank team for nine years, serving first on the Agency Relations team and then transitioning to the Director of Community Programs Department at the department’s initiation.
After graduating from Fairmont State, she served as a Food Pantry coordinator through the AmeriCorps Lifebridge Program. Her year with AmeriCorps shaped her passion and professional trajectory towards addressing access barriers to healthy food.