Brittany Viands holding a box of pasta for the Community Meal at Musselman High School

Musselman High School to feed families in need at the Community Meal

Berkeley County Schools

December 17, 2025

Article written by Ainsley Hall and published in The Journal on December 17, 2025, link to full article HERE.

Musselman High School will host a Community Meal to help those in need and bring people together. Organized by Communities in Schools Site Coordinator Brittany Viands, the event is designed to provide a free warm meal for anyone who needs it. On Thursday evening, people will gather at the school to eat a spaghetti dinner, play games and connect with others.

Viands first got the idea when one senior at Musselman High School went to their school counselor Christine Redstreake about the government shutdown and many families in the community losing SNAP benefits. The two of them decided to organize a food drive and even provided Thanksgiving meals to 20 families that needed extra support. Viands knew there were still needs in the community, and the idea for the Community Meal began to form.

Viands only recently started her position at Musselman High School where she acts as the bridge between the school and the community. She also works with students who are dealing with challenges outside of school as families are on the edge of homelessness or students working jobs to support their families.

The event allows the community to play an important role for students and rally together to support each other.

Viands has been organizing the Community Meal for the past month, contacting local businesses to see if they want to get involved. With their support, she’s able to buy enough food to feed a thousand people, including 300 pounds of pasta. She called around 30 to 40 businesses, mostly located in Inwood, and only three said they couldn’t help. Viands was amazed at how people are so willing to help.

“The community has shown up in ways that I didn’t know were possible,” Viands said. “I’m from Hedgesville, so I knew Berkeley County, when it needed to be, was there for each other, but I didn’t know it was going to be to this extent.”

In addition to providing a warm meal, Viands is also organizing a basic needs table with items like shampoo, deodorant, gloves and more where people can grab whatever they need. They are also collecting monetary donations if anyone wants to support local families. Even if someone isn’t able to help through giving, Viands says just showing up is a great way to get involved.

“That’s been the heart behind this, and it’s been kind of the fear as we get closer is that people are going to be afraid to show up,” she said. “Or they’ll feel prideful or they’ll feel like they don’t necessarily ‘qualify.’ But the heart of this was to bring the community together, no matter if they own their own business and are one of the richest people in the state or if they’re low income and they are fighting for their next meal.”

Viands said that one of her favorite things about being a part of this event was that it has nothing to do with her. She remembers during the initial week of planning, she prayed that she would be challenged, and people would see it’s not about her but the community. With Christmas coming up, she hopes this event will help both students and families get excited and remember that there are people that care about them.

“This event is very special to me, and not just because I’ve had a lot of time and energy making phone calls,” Viands said. “I got into this job because my brother and I needed somebody like me growing up. We were kids that were on SNAP for a while, and out mom was an amazing single mom that made sure we never went without, but I can’t imagine the strain that she would have if public assistance programs would have halted.”

The Community Meal is taking place on Thursday, Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. for the Musselman High School community. Viands hopes the event will become a yearly tradition in the future as people come together to make lasting memories.