Upshur Parish House opens new food pantry in Rock Cave

ROCK CAVE, W.Va. (WBOY) — The Upshur Parish House held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday as it expanded to a new food pantry in Rock Cave.

Officials with the Upshur Parish House said they decided to expand to southern Upshur County because they saw a “critical” need in that area. They also said that the area’s most vulnerable residents have limited transportation so they might have difficulty getting to the main location in Buckhannon.

Sarah Carr, who established the Upshur Parish House in 1992, did the honors of cutting the ribbon alongside her husband Marvin. Upshur Parish House’s Executive Director Isaac Casto praised the Carrs for their commitment to helping others and paving the way for future generations.

“[Rock Cave] were looking at closing the church but they wanted to be able to continue the ministries that they had in Rock Cave so when they closed the church they deeded it to the parish house, and we decided that this being an area of critical need that we wanted to be able to offer our services in the community here,” Casto said.

Casto said he thinks the need for the services the Upshur Parrish House offers is growing. In 2023, the food pantry increased the number of food packages it gave out by 1,000. “If the trends hold for this year, we’ll add another thousand. So we’re looking at a 25 to 30% increase not just with food, but with utility assistance.”

The utility assistance Casto referred to is what the Upshur Parrish House offers to help families pay for gas, electricity, and water. If you’re interested in donating to the food pantry, you can still drop donations off at its original location 68 College Avenue in Buckhannon or you can donate at the Rock Cave pantry. You can also donate monetarily at its website .

The food pantry will be open from noon to four on Wednesdays. It’s located at 4 Church Street in Rock Cave, the site of the former Rock Cave United Methodist Church.

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