The United Way of Marion and Taylor Counties is proud to partner with the United Ways of West Virginia and Handle with Care to manage Handle With Care pantries in Marion, Taylor, Barbour, and Tucker counties.
Handle With Care Pantries were established on September 3, 2020 through a generous donation by the Ball Toyota Family of Dealerships including Ball Toyota Charleston, L&S Toyota of Beckley and Advantage Toyota of Barboursville. Ball Toyota donated $200,000 to jump-start pantries in area United Way offices to provide food, clothing and toiletries for children and young adults in all 55 counties. Students who are part of the Handle With Care program, along with county coordinators, can utilize their county’s pantry to ensure their basic needs are being met during their time of crisis.
Handle With Care is a program which facilitates a network of coordinators who work hand in hand with law enforcement and West Virginia public schools. If a law enforcement officer encounters a child during a call, that child’s name is forwarded to the school and delivered to the child’s teacher before the school bell rings the next day. The school implements individual, class and whole school trauma-sensitive curricula so that traumatized children are “Handled With Care". If a child needs more intervention, on-site trauma-focused mental healthcare is available at the school.
We are proud to be part of the state-wide effort to assist our most vulnerable students in their time of need.
