West Virginia State University’s Kanawha County Healthy Grandfamilies program spent the spring and summer connecting grandparents and other relative caregivers with education, resources and community support, according to program coordinators.
The county-based initiative is part of the statewide Healthy Grandfamilies program, which provides education and support services to grandparents raising their grandchildren in West Virginia.
One highlight of the season was the launch of the Grandfamilies Storytelling Podcast, produced in partnership with the WVSU Economic Development Center in Charleston. The podcast gives grandparents and grandchildren an opportunity to interview one another in an oral-history format, organizers said.
Participants also visited Legal Aid of West Virginia, where they learned about navigating the legal system and available kinship resources.
The program partnered with West Virginia Health Right to offer fitness classes and a Stealthy Healthy Cooking Class, where grandparents learned to prepare nutritious meals for themselves and their households. Guest speakers from West Virginia Job Corps, the Kanawha County Board of Education, West Virginia Health Right and the Healing House discussed topics including educational support, substance use disorder, healing and self-care for caregivers.
Participants also received household care packages throughout the spring cohort. Those who attended 10 or more sessions were recognized with a visit to Horseshoe Heaven’s Itty-Bitty Therapy Farm in Scott Depot.
WVSU Extension Educator Aryaunna Mosley, who coordinates the Kanawha County Healthy Grandfamilies initiative, said partnerships with local agencies and community organizations have played an important role in the program’s success.
“Several newly enrolled families joined the program through referrals from partner organizations serving kinship families, demonstrating the reach and importance of these collaborative relationships,” Mosley said. “In addition, many new families joined seeking social support and a sense of community, underscoring the program’s role beyond financial assistance.”
Mosley said a common misconception is that only grandparents with formal legal custody or those receiving other assistance can participate.
“Healthy Grandfamilies is available at no cost to grandparents and other relative caregivers regardless of income, employment status or legal custody arrangements,” she said.
Those interested in the Kanawha County Healthy Grandfamilies program can contact Mosley at 304-766-5116 or aryaunna.mosley@wvstateu.edu.
The program is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
