AFSC West Virginia Spring 2026 Update

Spring greetings! If I had to choose my favorite sign of spring in West Virginia, it would be red buds. Close second would be spring peepers… or the first sprigs of asparagus from my mom's garden. Also pretty sweet this year though, was my son's excitement at tiny green sprouts popping up in the little pot he painted. There is much to love about the multitude of sensations of springtime in Appalachia.

I ground myself in these brighter realities  in order to confront the darker ones. Along those lines, Rick and I along with other Food for All coalition partners, were in Washington D.C. for the Anti-Hunger Conference earlier this week. We met with congressional staff about the currently terrible Farm Bill, we shared stories of the growing demand at our local food pantries, and that with the compounding impacts of rising costs of food and gas, West Virginians cannot withstand more cuts to SNAP.   

Since many of the SNAP cuts in the Big Brutal Bill (to the tune of $186 billion–yep, billions) will not take effect until next year, the Farm Bill could be an opportunity to prevent a hunger crisis in our country. But as it stands the current version being considered by the House Agriculture committee does not include any provisions to reverse the devastating cuts. So we carried a clear message to the Hill: current Farm Bill (H.R. 7567) is a hard NO.

Even though the harmful provisions in the Big Brutal Bill have not yet gone into full effect, already 13,000 fewer West Virginians are receiving food assistance through SNAP. That’s a five percent drop—not because of reduced need, but because of access barriers while the WV Department of Human Services (DHS) prepares for sweeping changes, and with fewer dollars. 

There is a policy alternative to this looming crisis, if Congress finds the political will. Big if, I know. The Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act, H.R. 6088, would undo the administrative changes that weaken efficiencies and accessibility of the SNAP program. It would also reverse the unprecedented requirement to make states cover a share of SNAP program benefits and administrative costs.

When thinking about how these policy choices impact people, I think fondly of Reverend Jim Lewis, whose life and indelible legacy was celebrated this past Saturday in Charleston. I first got to work with Jim in the early days of WV Patriots for Peace, an organization Jim helped found to protest the human and financial costs of the war in Iraq.   

Jim was a master of metaphors, and one metaphor he used when talking about the financial costs of the war in Iraq was “an elephant in the room sucking up all the peanuts.” To wit, square the fact that Congress voted to take away $186 billion in food assistance from millions of struggling Americans, alongside the $2 billion a day being spent on an unjust war. And now the Pentagon is readying to ask Congress for $1.5 trillion in the 2027 budget. Suggested two punch against the elephant Jim warned us about: No endless war in Iran and pass a farm bill that protects SNAP.

May Day 2026

We are May Day Strong alongside the national call to action. With solidarity events happening in Beckley, Elkins, Charleston, Parkersburg, and Berkeley Springs—find a May Day Strong solidarity event near you and take the pledge for May Day: Workers over Billionaires.  

Here are our shared demands:

• Tax the rich so our families, not their fortunes, come first.
• ICE Out. No private army serving unchecked federal power.
• Expand democracy, not corporate power. Defend free and fair elections.

Seeding Sparks Fellowship

Voices of Hunger WV, a collective advancing the Right to Food, is currently accepting applicants for the next cohort of the Seeding Sparks Fellowship. Applications are due tomorrow! The fellowship is designed to support community organizers, particularly those with lived experience of food insecurity, to be part of a statewide cohort of organizers who are dedicated to the Right to Food, and working for food justice through local action and policy advocacy. Apply today!

Summer Policy Institute 2026

The Summer Policy Institute (SPI)—our 11th(!)—is right around the corner! This year SPI will be held in our beloved Logan County where AFSC's roots run deep. While “officially” the deadline to apply has passed, be in touch if you or someone you know would be interested in attending. The theme this "Healthcare in the Hollers" with topics like social determinants of health, rural hospital closures in the face of Medicaid cuts, ways people are organizing for clean water and against data centers, and how to advocate for better health care for people incarcerated. Here is link to register.

Thanks for reading if you've made it this far! Happy spring! And happy May Day!

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