According to Ron Hedrick, Raleigh County Mountaineer Food Bank sponsor and president of the Raleigh County Veterans Museum, Mountaineer Food Bank has partnered with AmeriCorps to place paid representatives in Beckley, Clarksburg, and Martinsburg. These representatives will work in their respective cities to locate veterans in need and place them in a program that can best suit those needs.
Hedrick said he believes the two organizations chose to place a representative in Beckley because of the good work already being done within the county.
“I think they chose us because we have had such a good relationship with them, and that made our location a good pick,” he said.
Hedrick continued, stating that while the requirements for the position have not been set, he does know that the position is a one-year contract and will be posted to the public sometime in March.
“Once it is posted, we would like to get someone local for the position, whether it’s someone retired looking for something part-time or side job or a younger person looking to get into serving the community,” Hedrick said.
He also said that no matter who is chosen to fill the position, as a 21-year veteran himself, he will personally make sure that person has the best access and opportunity to reach out to the county’s veterans in need.
“We need to help as many veterans as we can and show that this is not just worthy things that they are doing but needed things. We need to help our aging veteran population, and the need is substantial. We want this program to succeed. We want to grow our footprint and expand to as many veterans as we can in Raleigh County and, from there, reach into the joining counties.
“Not only does this help our veterans, but we are always looking to bring jobs to Raleigh County, one job at a time. We’ve got one year to make this successful and make this position a permanent thing.”
The office for the representative will be located inside the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building in downtown Beckley. Hedrick will be supplying all of the office supplies and equipment, so there is no charge to the organization.