By Patrick Hurston
All photos courtesy of Judy Ball
As the winter chill settles over Hardy County each December, something warmer and brighter begins to take shape.
For the fifth year in a row, State Farm agent Judy Ball has helped anchor one of the season’s most uplifting and visible acts of generosity: her annual community food drive, a grassroots effort that challenges residents, businesses, churches, and civic groups to come together to support neighbors in need.
Ball is careful about how she frames the effort. She consistently calls it a challenge, not a fundraiser. For Ball, this is a deliberate choice meant to invite participation rather than create distance.
“I think it is important to build a sense of county and community unity,” Ball said. “It’s a way for each of us to do a part to take care of our own people in our county with a need.”
Moorefield Mayor Scott Fawley agrees.
“Judy has a heart for Hardy County. She and her team put a lot of effort into the food drive,” he said. “I believe the energy and passion in which the event is conducted spurs those in our community to help make it such a great success.” Ball’s team, responsible for organizing, sorting, packing, and more, includes Judy Sherman Borror; Kim Nesslerodt; Beth Dolan; and Breanna Sites.
That sense of shared community, Ball added, transcends geography and difference. “It is no longer about one group or one part of the county, but everyone and our whole county,” she said. “It makes us feel like we are all part of the same team working together to achieve a common goal for good, regardless of our differences.”
Each year, from her office on South Main Street, Ball kicks off the drive with a simple but powerful message: Let’s see what we can do together. This year, she launched the challenge early, on October 30, opening with a personal contribution of $500, a symbolic start that signals her hands-on commitment and invites the community to follow her lead.
Typically launched around Thanksgiving, Ball said this year’s earlier start and compressed timeline of just three weeks was intentional. She pointed to the federal government shutdown and resulting delays in SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) benefits as creating even greater hardship for families this year.
Yet almost immediately, donations began pouring in, from canned goods and boxed meals to household staples and checks arriving one by one. Ball admits that even after five years, the process still carries moments of uncertainty.
“Sometimes it seems things are moving a little slow,” she said, “and suddenly in just a day it all turns around, as if people see and sense the need.”
What continues to surprise her most, she said, is not just the outcome but the spirit behind it.
“It always surprises me that each year that even in difficult times people still give generously, even those who we know probably run their own budgets a little tight,” she said. “It is so heartwarming to see that car or truck pull in with food or a check.”
Each year, the contributions come from a growing list of places, from business and civic groups, area banks, food and hospitality establishments, small employers, youth organizations, church groups, and individuals who stop by with a single sack of groceries and a heartfelt story. These combined efforts are then matched with local food banks across the county that rely on the donations to help families supplement monthly food needs or provide emergency assistance. This year’s beneficiaries included Moorefield Active Caring (MAC) House in Moorefield; Lifted Hands, also in Moorefield; Lost River Ministerial in Mathias; and the Wardensville Food Pantry.
For these organizations, the timing is critical. December is often one of the hardest months for families. Heating bills rise, work hours fluctuate, and holiday expenses strain already tight budgets. The combination of food and financial donations allows pantries to meet immediate needs while also planning ahead, long after the decorations come down.
The generosity isn’t only measured in cans and dollars; it’s reflected in the coordination behind the scenes. Volunteers organize donation sites, coordinate delivery routes, and lend a hand at distribution events, ensuring that every contribution reaches those who need it most.
By the end of the drive, this year’s response had exceeded every previous year: more than 10,000 food and household items collected and approximately $33,000 in financial contributions.
On Nov. 24, the donations were loaded and delivered to the four food pantries with help from Moorefield Mayor Scott Fawley, Town of Moorefield employees, Kathy Harvey and Stephen Coates of Wiemer, and Capon Valley Bank in Wardensville.
Fawley said it is a personal goal of his to “help bring public awareness to local organizations and charitable causes so people understand how they can make a difference.” He added that seeing town employees involved in efforts like this can help inspire others to action.
The moment captured the spirit of the drive: public servants, financial institutions, volunteers, and business leaders working side by side to ensure donations reached the people who need them most. The deliveries weren’t the end but a hand-off from community generosity to community care.
For the pantries receiving those deliveries, the impact was both immediate and sustaining.
“It’s super meaningful,” said Christine Brinks, coordinator of the Mathias Food Pantry, part of Lost River Ministerial. Brinks remembers clearly what she encountered when she first took on the role two years ago.
“When I first took over the food pantry, our shelves were literally empty,” she said.
“When she and her helpers came and delivered, that was, like, sustaining for us,” Brinks added. “I don’t know how we would have managed to even place an order for our usual things.” Brinks said the Mathias Food Pantry typically serves around 25 families, or about 90 individuals per week.
Beyond helping meet basic need, Brinks said the drive also restores dignity. Donations beyond standard food boxes allow clients to choose items themselves. “They love to see the other things that maybe we hadn’t thought of,” she said.
Brinks believes Ball’s long-standing presence, not just through the food drive, but through years of community involvement, plays a key role in why people give with confidence.
“Judy has built that trust through her business, but also through serving the community,” Brinks said. “So, they know when they’re giving to her … she’s going to make it happen. She’s going to get it to the place that she says she does.”
In Moorefield, the impact is just as tangible at MAC House, which has served the community for more than 40 years. The emergency food pantry typically assists 85 – 90 families per month, but demand surged this fall as economic pressures and SNAP benefit delays affected more households.
“It restocks our shelves,” said Sherry Homan of the MAC House. “By this time some years our shelves are almost empty.”
Financial contributions from Ball’s food drive are particularly critical, allowing the MAC House to purchase food strategically and remain open consistently throughout the year.
“Nobody in this community should be hungry,” Homan said.
The combination of consistency, trust, and visibility is one reason Ball was named Community Champion of the Year earlier this year by the Hardy County Chamber of Commerce, an honor driven entirely by community nominations and votes.
“We really left it up to the community,” said Justin Evans, executive director of the Hardy County Chamber of Commerce. “It’s the people’s award.”
Evans said the recognition reflects a broader pattern of engagement. “She’s showing up all year long,” he said, noting Ball’s long-standing support of youth sports, animal welfare organizations, veterans’ groups, and Heritage Weekend, among many others.
“She’s doing exactly what you should do when you become successful,” Evans said.
“When you win, you help others win.”
Ball is intentional about giving credit broadly. “It took us all to make this happen,” she said. “As they say — together we achieve more — and we did this together.”
One of the most meaningful moments for her each year, she added, is watching young people participate, from scout troops carrying donations into the office to students from East Hardy and Moorefield High Schools contributing, and families shopping together.
“I think participating in these activities helps our youth develop into caring, socially responsible adults,” Ball said. “It isn’t all about what we can get, but also what we can give.”
“I hope the community realizes how blessed we are to live in a community that cares and shows kindness and generosity toward each other,” Ball added.
When the last boxes are unloaded and the checks delivered, what remains is not just fuller shelves, but a renewed sense of connection and a reminder that community isn’t something Hardy County simply talks about.
It’s something it practices, together. And it’s a gift that keeps on giving.
