THE OPPORTUNITY CREATOR

Caitlin Cook, Charleston

Director of advocacy and public policy for Mountaineer Food Bank, at-large city council member for the City of Charleston, and chair of Charleston’s Parks and Recreation Committee

BRINGING OPPORTUNITY HOME

“I’ve always wanted to make a positive impact. I left the state for college, but when I came back home, I viewed it as an opportunity to improve the community. My love, my deep roots in the state, and the fact that we are in a space that we’ve got to improve has been the driving source. We all have an important role in reviving our communities that we live in, and if everybody can step up and do their part then we’ve got a real solid path forward.”

NOURISHING THE COMMUNITY

“I’ve been at Mountaineer Food Bank for a year and a half now, and I enjoy the opportunity to work with our state as well as our federal policymakers to tackle food insecurity in the state of West Virginia. I can’t think of anything that I would rather be doing than helping fellow West Virginians get that foundational basic—because if you don’t have consistent access to food, let alone nutritious food, that’s going to throw you off in a lot of aspects of your life.”

TAKING A STAND

“I introduced a bill to ban conversion therapy in the city of Charleston, which passed August 2, 2021. It is the first of its kind in the state. That’s a practice that every medical association in the country, along with each of their state affiliates, agrees that no minor should be subjected to. This is about not only protecting LGBTQ youth who live in this city or may come to Charleston, but it’s about valuing who they are as a people.”

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Since 2014 WV Living magazine has been honoring West Virginia Wonder Women, amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. WV Living is proud to celebrate these Appalachian mothers, millennials, and mavens proving that in a time full of uncertainty, divisiveness, and hate, love for one another is all we really need. No need for bulletproof bracelets or a golden lasso of truth—these women are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.