Damian Phillips
Nov 14, 2025
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Communities in Schools (CiS) programs across West Virginia have reported a “major increase” in requests for basic necessities —including food, hygiene products, and clothing — over the last 45 days, according to Communities in Schools Regional Specialist Emma Damron.
Fortunately, timely $1,500 donations provided to every public school statewide has allowed CiS program coordinators to meet the immediate needs of students and their families in their communities.
The $1,500 checks come from over $1 million in donations made to the CiS program by the Shawn and Angela Ball of L&S Toyota in Beckley, the Pack Family Foundation and the Wing to Wing Foundation.
“Typically, our site coordinators know their caseload, and they break those educational barriers to ensure all students have what they need. But SNAP and EBT issues added a lot of additional students,” Damron said.
While exact statistics on the increase in needs requests are unavailable, as site coordinators are not required to finalize their data until the end of the year, Damron observed a significant shift. She noted that middle to lower-class families who had typically “just survived, stopped surviving,” and students and families who previously needed only occasional support began requiring more.
Communities in Schools was first established in West Virginia in 2014. The program expanded to Harrison County Schools in 2021 as the statewide effort, which began in southern West Virginia, moved north, according to Harrison Schools Superintendent Dora Stutler.
Last year, a Communities in Schools representative at Nutter Fort Elementary School stated that nearly 60% of students were economically disadvantaged.
Although Stutler did not have current statistics available, she said that figure still fairly represents the overall rate across the county. However, she noted some schools, including Nutter Fort, Robert C. Byrd High School, and Mountaineer Elementary School, have a higher rate of low socioeconomic status students than the county average.
Harrison County currently operates two CiS offices: one at Nutter Fort and one at Liberty Middle School, which was moved following the closure of Washington Irving Middle School.
“It’s proven to be such a valuable program,” Stutler said. “We do all we can to make sure needs are met at our schools.”
Students who do not attend a school with a CiS office can still receive assistance through their respective schools or via the county. If a school lacks the necessary funds, the county provides the support, Stutler said.
This year, however, schools faced less pressure to secure funds for student needs thanks to the expansion of the “Keep the Ball Rolling” campaign.
This program, which previously provided funding to a limited number of schools, received an infusion of more than $1 million. Key donors included Shawn and Angela Ball, owners of L&S Toyota in Beckley; West Virginia Treasurer Larry Pack and his wife Lisa through the Pack Family Foundation; and the Wing to Wing Foundation established by Marshall University President Brad Smith.
Because of this substantial infusion, every school in the state received a $1,500 supplement to help address student needs.
This additional cash supplementation “wasn’t planned for by any means,” Damron said. “But it came a very amazing time.”
Even with this crucial financial assistance, Damron encouraged anyone who is able to reach out to local schools and donate. In addition to food and warm clothes, another “major need,” she said, is underwear.