On August 23, last year, Martha Snider from Caldwell, just outside of Lewisburg, found herself at the Our Children Our Future policy workshop in Bridgeport, listening to West Virginia Senator John Unger (D – Berkley) tell the story of visiting his wife’s third grade classroom. He said he asked students if they would rather have more recesses or two lunches. One student told him he wanted two lunches, so he could take one home to his brother, who didn’t have any food at night. As Unger talked about his awareness of child hunger and involvement with the Feed to Achieve Act, Snider was inspired.  As a result of the act, public school students will now get breakfast and lunch by the fall of 2015.

For Snider, the Northern Regional Policy Workshop was a revelation. Everyday West Virginians had access to legislators and were invited to partner with them to create state policy. Snider, a nurse, who is doing clinical work towards her doctorate degree through Walden University at the Rainelle Medical Center, was already working on health issues related to nutrition and exercise when her supervisor, Dr. Patricia Lally invited her to go to the workshop.Read More