Every county in West Virginia has different needs, different issues, even different subcultures that present an insurmountable barrier to planners who seek neat, tidy, “one size fits all” solutions.
Local family support centers craft their slate of programs based upon all of those factors. Operating without a central or regional authority to direct operations, the different centers have prioritized the areas of need in their communities and worked to address them.
In fact, lack of central direction has served as one of the key reasons for their success statewide.
Hardy County’s center has spearheaded activity on multiple fronts. For example, director Ryan Runion in Hardy County organized a partnership with local ministers and others to expand a Wardensville-based teen social night program into their Moorefield facility. Ties between FSCs and local churches and ministerial associations have led to a tremendous impact in most areas.
Other events include Christmas, Easter, and back to school events. Staff have ample opportunities at these social events to observe, then offer helpful hints and advice as they see how families interact with each other and internally.
The center also hosts support groups to promote mental and physical health in adults and children. One point of emphasis has been engaging with local autism groups to help provide forums for parents to share and learn.
Edna Mullenax has directed the Pendleton County Family Support Center since its opening three years ago. In 2025, it served 26 households, including 75 children and 46 adults. Services provided there focus on mobility coaching, job preparation, financial management, and child development skills building.
Partnering with the Pendleton County Commission, the FSC there received support to house a SPOKES center using technology to access opportunities and build skills. This project of the Eastern Panhandle Instructional Cooperative provides opportunities to search for jobs, get a GED, and skills education “so that they don’t have to go to Petersburg or Moorefield” for those. This is housed at the FSC/ Though it is not an official FSC program, those working with the FSC can use it.
The FSC also has partnered with the area Ministerial Association, Living Faith Church, the Salvation Army, and a number of other organizations to help enhance their capabilities to provide direct support. That includes, but is not limited to, donations for coats and clothing for the Warm the Children drive, toys for Saint Nick’s Toy Box to make sure children have presents at Christmas, and more.
Tina Persinger director of the Calhoun Family Support Center, explains that “our main focus is preventing child abuse and neglect. “We have per capita a high substance abuse rate and high child abuse and neglect for our population.” In a recent year of data collection, Calhoun County suffered 92 such cases with Gilmer having only 10 in the same period.
She went on to add that they work hard to prevent Child Protective Services cases while also trying to help those who have had cases opened on them. While many children have seen some form of abuse, other cases focus on “neglect beyond poverty,” with homes cluttered to unsafe levels and extremely unhygienic conditions.
Calhoun’s FSC currently works with 175 families, “and they all have a different story” she notes. Persinger also described situations where the FSC helped to move families past the conditions that led to CPS involvement. In most cases of removal, most families working with the FSC were reunited.
Assistance to those in drug recovery has served as a focus for Calhoun’s FSC with recovery a fundamental step toward resiliency. Persinger also shared that many children in Calhoun County are partially or fully raised by grandparents. In some cases, this creates dysfunction if the grandparents themselves did not have positive parenting skills. As Persinger stated “generational trauma is generational abuse” and their team works to break those cycles.
In other cases, grandparents come into raising grandchildren with good intentions, but lack knowledge and skills to engage a 21st century child, especially a teenager.
“Sometimes it is as simple as getting your child to sleep,” she stated, sharing that grandparents may not know recent research-based techniques of getting small children to sleep quickly and restfully. One grandparent was a registered nurse and “very educated” but needed to learn how to monitor social media and even hold a conversation based on mutual exchange rather than one-way direction.
Food is fundamental. Many of today’s parents did not grow up learning how to cook in traditional ways that maximize nutrition while minimizing cost. Different FSCs approach this in different ways.
In Hardy County, the FSC based in Moorefield runs not only cooking, but also canning classes to help to preserve fresh foods, even meats. Last weekend, the center gave from flats of eggs donated to the center.
Calhoun’s FSC has “Foodie 101” classes. Adam Hamrick teaches families how to make restaurant or fair and festival quality foods that both parents and kids love, but for much less money than at a restaurant or booth and healthier than ultra-processed options from the store. Pendleton County’s West Virginia University Extension Agent Brooke Alt has also taught basic cooking skills at the FSC there.
Like all FSCs socialization for both children and families is a key priority. Parents or guardians and children get to enjoy respite from lives filled with stress over money and other issues. Households that may be normally closed off from social contact get to make connections with models of well-functioning families. Children construct healthy peer-to-peer relationships.
Adults can get training in basics of both parenting and adult life that may not have been passed on to them when they grew up. Financial planning, budgeting, conflict resolution, and basic skills are commonly taught at these centers.
FSCs also have pantries that can provide direct help to immediate needs, such as with diapers, cleaning supplies, hygiene products, and other items excluding perishable foods.
For many families, being open and available is the best possible service. FSCs remain open during business hours on business days to receive families or family members at any time. Some come for respite, some come so their children can play with other kids, others come to vent about their frustrations or ask advice. Having a place for good advice and “steam release” can prevent the kinds of frustrations that can lead to serious problems if unaddressed.
