The Upshur Parish House hosts the 4th Annual Mark Petrosky Hunger Walk on September 27, 2025. This annual event aims to combat food insecurity in Upshur County by encouraging participants to bring nonperishable food items and monetary donations to support the organization’s food pantry and holiday meal program.

The event begins at the Parish House, located at 68 College Ave. Buckhannon, WV, with registration at 8:30 am and the walk starting at 9:00 am. The walk will go from the Parish House throughout the local community, highlighting Parish House programs and local partners. Participants are encouraged to bring a $5 donation or nonperishable food items. This year’s Hunger Walk will feature a new tradition where local community groups compete to “Pack the Pantry.” Awards will be presented to the team that donates the most food items and to the team with the most participation in the walk. To participate, teams must register on the Parish House website (parishhouse.org) and can drop off donations starting on Sept. 22 at the Parish House.

All donations collected at the Hunger Walk will go directly to the Parish House’s food pantry and the upcoming holiday meal program for Upshur County neighbors. Isaac Casto, the Executive Director of the Parish House, says donations from the Hunger Walk are essential to keep families fed. “For us, the Hunger Walk marks the beginning of the holiday season,” Casto said. “Each year, more families come through our doors needing help, and with the funding cuts we’re experiencing, these donations make it possible for us to share food and hope during a time that should be full of both.”

Now in its 4th year, The Hunger Walk is in memory of Mark Petrosky, a Parish House volunteer who passed away in November 2021. Petrosky was a U.S. Army Veteran, serving two tours in Iraq as well as serving in the Reserves and National Guard. He attended the First United Methodist Church in Buckhannon and the Victory Apostolic Church and was a dedicated pantry volunteer at the Parish House.

Ian Wyckoff, a Wesleyan student volunteer at the Parish House, says community involvement is vital to the Parish House’s work. “This will be my second Hunger Walk, and last year I could see that this event is more than a fundraiser. It’s a way to come together as a community to remind each other that no one has to go it alone when times are hard.”

Suggested nonperishable items for donation include boxes of instant mashed potatoes, canned green beans, boxes of stuffing mix, canned gravy or gravy mix packages, Jiffy pie crust mixes, evaporated milk, cranberry sauce, canned sweet potatoes, canned corn, canned pork ‘n beans, boxed cake mixes, canned yams, frosting, grape jelly, canned fruits, oats, canned beans, canned tuna or chicken, pasta sauce, dish soap, toilet tissue, feminine hygiene items and hygiene items.

The Upshur Parish House is open in Buckhannon Monday through Fridays from 9 am to 1 pm and Thursday evenings from 5 to 7 pm and in Rock Cave Wednesday 12 to 4.

Additional information about the services provided by the Upshur Parish House is available on their Facebook page, by visiting parishhouse.org, by emailing upshurparish@gmail.com or by calling 304-472-0743.

The Upshur Parish House, a mission project of the WV United Methodist Church, assists with basic needs for low-income Upshur County families. Since 1992, the Upshur Parish House has offered various services and programs to its neighbors-in-need including a food pantry, rent and utility financial assistance, holiday food boxes, clothing vouchers, thrift store, newborn layettes, hot lunches, backpacks and school supplies, and referral to other agencies and community organizations. The Parish House is open in Buckhannon Monday through Friday from 9 am to 1 pm and Thursday evening from 5 to 7 pm and in Rock Cave Wednesdays from 12 to 4 pm. Its thrift store, The Clothes Closet, is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and Thursday evening from 5 to 7 pm. Approximately 100 families visit the Parish House each week for assistance.