Food-less Food Fest to help nonprofit

A GIVING HEART — Tommy Charnie, a junior at Kent State University, continues to help those at the Weirton Community Bread Basket. He is helping fundraise toward the nonprofit’s purchase of a new building in the future. -- Contributed
WEIRTON — There are people in this world who volunteer to help others.
And then, there are people who spend their entire lives wanting to do all they can to make the world a better place than which they found it.
Perhaps no one understands that better than Weirton resident Tommy Charnie.
His passion for helping others began when he was in grade school.
Charnie and his mother, Marilyn Charnie, began volunteering at the Community Bread Basket in Weirton. They continued offering their services throughout the years, including when Tommy was a senior at Brooke High School. Marilyn later became a board member of the agency.
The mother and son saw the important work the nonprofit agency was doing for the people of West Virginia. They wanted to be a part of that.
However, it was when the organization itself was in need of a helping hand that Tommy extended his and led the fundraising effort.
Now, Tommy is again seeking the help of the community.
The Community Bread Basket is in need of a permanent residence and is hoping to one day purchase a location in the downtown area, so as to service the community better.
The building which is now being used is situated on two separate floors. A one-story structure which has ample parking space for distribution days and a loading dock would be more of an ideal situation, officials explained. Its current location at the rear of 3545 Pennsylvania Ave. in Weirton has been a blessing for the organization, Marilyn stated.
Tommy commented, “We would like to thank the current landlord for all he has done to provide the Community Bread Basket with a location when their previous location was sold. The landlord has been extremely generous and supportive of the Community Bread Basket. We don’t know where we would be without his help.”
The staff and board members of the nonprofit are grateful for the use of the building, as it has served as a haven toward being able to help others during their times of struggle.
The fundraising needs to continue toward meeting the goal of purchasing a new building. And Tommy, despite now being a junior studying architecture at Kent State, and currently studying abroad in Italy, is still fundraising for the Weirton organization.
The annual Food-less Food Fest will help raise money for the Community Bread Basket. As the invitation reads, “You are invited to help feed the hungry of our community by participating in the Community Bread Basket’s Food-less Food Fest. There’s no need to mark a date. No need to dress up and go out for an evening, pay a babysitter or waste your gas, and you won’t have to listen to boring speeches. We won’t waste your money on extravagant food and drink, nor hire a band, nor pay a chef. All proceeds go directly to the building fund to continue the mission of the bread basket. Just select a level of participation and return your meal ticket and check in the enclosed envelope.”
Those wanting to receive an invitation to donate can call ((304) 670-5900.
Levels of participation include: The Helper, hotdog and beans level, $10; the Friend, fantastic fruit fondue level, $25; the Volunteer, vegetarian road kill level, $50; the Citizen, cherry chocolate chunk cheesecake level, $100; The Community Leader, lobster level, $250; the Professional, prime rib level, $500; and the Corporate, caviar level, $1,000.
Donations are tax deductible, officials stated.
Tommy helped raise money for the nonprofit for a senior project while in high school. Those with the Greek Catholic Union, of which he is a member, matched his donations. He awarded a check for $11,100 to the bread basket.
He had contacted area businesses asking for their help. Marilyn stated he had a vision and kept at it.
The high schooler had received gifts that included designer handbags, overnight resort tickets and cash, which he placed in gift baskets and held drawings. Each basket was estimated to be anywhere from $500 to $1,000.
Tommy continued to volunteer his services to the Community Bread Basket during COVID, raising approximately $2,500.
He even helped others in the community, playing a vital role in helping to bring and relocate Ukrainian refugees to Weirton during the Russo-Ukrainian War in September 2022. With matching funds from the Greek Catholic Union, he presented a check in the amount of $13,000 from his fundraising efforts to help the cause.
The Community Bread Basket is a cooperative outreach ministry made up of Weirton-area churches organizations, businesses and individuals in order to assure the basic needs of life are provided for those throughout its community.
The Tri-State Church of God, Catholic Charities West Virginia and the Weirton Ministerial Association came together to form the Community Bread Basket in 2003. As need increased, additional churches joined the effort, providing food, baby items and monetary donations.
The nonprofits’ purpose is to provide resources and services for the basic needs of life to those in need, including, clothing, food and counseling services. It aims to enable individuals to develop the skills needed to become self-dependent, according to officials, who noted they are “mandated by the Spirit of Christ and committed to providing these services while maintaining the respect and dignity of the individual.”
The pantry is run by a group of volunteers from several local congregations, under the direction of the program administrator.
“We have dedicated volunteers who faithfully come to fill and distribute food orders,” officials stated. “The Food Pantry at the Community Bread Basket is stocked through the support of our churches and local businesses. Bulk supplies are purchased from the Mountaineer Food Bank, a member of America’s Second Harvest.
The pantry is open from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Fridays. To place an order prior to Friday, call the office at (304) 748-7595. Clients are asked to come once a month unless it is an emergency. Patrons may receive a food order once a month or 30 days between visits. Each patron shall have the necessary documentation as requested by the program administrator.
The following must be provided once a year, or when information changes: Proof of West Virginia residency for all persons living in the household, proof of income for everyone in the home, proof of persons in the home through Social Security cards and meeting the income guidelines as listed.
The income for a one-person household can be no greater than $1,180 a month; two people, $1,594; three people, $2,007; four people, $2,421; five people, $2,835; six people, $3,249; seven people, $3,663; and eight people, $4,077. For information, call (304) 748-7595 or by e-mail bread_basket03@yahoo.com.