CLAY, W.Va. — The high school in this county is the center of the community, and one of its most important roles is making sure its students don’t go hungry.
“The overarching thing is just a culture of care,” said Clay County High School Principal Melinda Isaacs.
“We do whatever we can to take care of our kids. It’s kind of catching on. You want to be a part of goodness.”
With Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching, the school has been redoubling its efforts to send boxes of food home with students who need help.
Volunteers at the school have been preparing boxes of Thanksgiving dinners with either turkey or chicken, 10 pounds of potatoes, and enough canned goods to get through the rest of the week. The boxed Christmas meals, prepared for 250 families, also include meat, potatoes and dessert.
Those holiday food drives build upon a weekly effort to send backpacks filled with food — peanut butter, pasta, canned goods — home with students in need.
Families’ situations became more dire this past summer after devastating flooding in the county. Even before that, Clay County was one of the poorest counties in West Virginia. Twenty-five percent of Clay County residents live below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“About two years ago, when the mines shut down, it became very apparent at the high school that kids were in dire need,” Isaacs said.
About the same time, Marissa Tackett, an ebullient student who had been battling cancer, passed away. Her family was looking for a way to honor her memory.
“She was just an endearing little girl,” Isaacs said. “Her spirit was just completely giving. Her family was looking for a way to honor her memory by giving back.”
So the school and community established “Marissa’s Closet” to honor the student who would have been a senior this year.
The actual closet and its shelves are stuffed with goods like pancake mix, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti noodles, canned vegetables and canned beans.
“We try to do a lot of protein and obviously carbs,” Isaacs said. “Things that are easy for kids to fix.”
About 25 to 30 students take accept the food.
School secretary Pam Tanner is the one students go to if they want help.
“They come to me, and they say, ‘Pam, we don’t have any food.’
“I say ‘no problem.’ We load ’em up and we load ’em up every week.”
Great care is taken to preserve the privacy of the students Tanner fills backpacks with the food. Students are assigned numbers and discretely come in to get the corresponding backpack. Then they can just slip away.
“It’s very discrete,” said Assistant Principal Crystal Gibson.
At first, the food was informally collected for the school. Now there are more regular sources who give, including churches and individuals. But the school could always use more help.
“It truly is a community project,” Isaacs said. “People just care.”
Giving is tax deductible, and the school is willing to send receipts. Checks may be mailed to Clay County High School, Box 729, Clay, WV 25043. Put a note specifying “Marissa’s Closet.”
“Right now we need more breakfast food,” Isaacs noted.
The school is involved in caring for its students in other ways, as well. There’s an enormous Angel Tree project already under preparation for Christmas. And there’s a prom dress rack for any student who wants a dress.
“You have to be passionate about it,” Isaacs said. “I know other people do stuff but honestly I think we do more than anybody I know.”