When it became clear public officials had not planned for enough facemasks to protect frontline workers in the Covid-19 pandemic, hundreds of resourceful volunteers from West Virginia got to work sewing masks at home to help nursing homes, clinics, hospitals, and coronavirus relief efforts stay safe on the job. More than 13,000 masks later, they are still hard at it ... For more on the group's efforts and to volunteer money, time or your own sewing skills, visit WestVirginiaMaskArmy.com

https://www.facebook.com/WVStrong.Org/videos/259774278511687/

IMAGE: From Bobby Lee Messer video

The pandemic has put students out of school and away from meals many rely upon. But West Virginia school staff and county boards of education are stepping up to prep and share meals that are driven by bus drivers to keep children fed, often stopping by the side of the road in rural West Virginia.

https://www.facebook.com/WVStrong.Org/videos/2820967201354694/

IMAGE: Screen shot from video

From the streets of Charleston, W.Va., to her home in Rand, W.Va., Kim Walker Payne plans to pay off her mortgage selling cupcakes and cobblers. This video profile is part of the WVStrong.org video series "Making It In the Mountain State."

With a staff drawn from the Clay County region, and an idea inspired by a trip to Italy, a West Virginia family has launched a business "in the middle of nowehere" devoted to bringing good handmade, homemade food to the state.

Cheryl Herdman "felt a little left behind" trying to start her own business. But once she got the message that building a business in West Virginia was a "pull up your bootstraps and get to work," thing," then that's what she did. She and her staff at Hopewell Community Services, LLC, help individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities and their families live richer, fuller lives though innovative, personal programs. See this new episode in the West Virginia Strong series "Making It In West Virginia."

A bus load of West Virginians recently did what Mountaineers have long done to care for themselves and their families—they took matters into their own hands. Along with state lawmaker Barbara Fleischauer, they headed by bus to Canada to illustrate how much cheaper the life-saving drug is just a few hours drive across America's northern border.

The Washington Post recently described how pharmaceutical companies have broken promises to drop the price of insulin while our political leaders fail to address the problem. It seems pretty clear that nothing will happen unless ordinary people start stepping step up....

When a local couple started a winemaking business in their hometown of Spencer, WV, they weren’t sure what to expect. Chestnut Ridge Winery is now a thriving part of their community in the heart of the Mountain State. A new video in WVStrong’s ‘Making It In the Mountain State’ series.

Inspired by Nancy Belmont's creation UNITY in 2016 in Alexandria, VA, a West Virginia minister and a local artist have presented a yearly event every September in the Cabell County community of Barboursville. The Barboursville Unity Project is a large collaborative public art creation that speaks to the ties that bind us all in West Virginia, both individually and collectively. NOTE: The community project in downtown Barboursville shown in the video was a Fall event and is no longer up. 

West Virginia offers a lot of activities that fathers and sons can enjoy together, learning important values and skills along the way. Working on a 1979 Camaro with his son, a Hurricane WV father has figured out a great way to connect with his son and provide a healthy outlet for his son's energies as he comes of age.