For more than four decades, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank has served as the primary hunger-relief organization for 25 counties and eight cities across central and western Virginia. With distribution centers in Verona, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and Winchester, The Food Bank operates on the principle that everyone should have enough to eat. According to their website, the Food Bank provides more than 27 million meals, over 31 million pounds of food, including 9 million pounds of produce, and supports approximately 172,000 guest visits each month, serving tens of thousands of children, seniors, and families in need.

A network of pantries and mobile distributions ensures that families experiencing food insecurities receive nutritious food.

At the heart of the Food Bank’s work is its Partner Pantry Program. More than 400 local food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and community organizations collaborate with the Food Bank to distribute groceries weekly or biweekly to households experiencing food insecurity. In addition, the Mobile Food Pantry brings boxes of fresh and shelf-stable items directly to underserved rural and urban communities, ensuring that barriers such as transportation or limited store access do not prevent families from getting nutritious food. The Food Bank network’s mobile distributions take place at schools, churches, community centers, and senior sites across the service area, providing a reliable source of groceries for individuals who might otherwise go without.

Multiple programs help Blue Ridge Area Food Bank reach those most vulnerable in our area.

Understanding that good nutrition is vital for health and well-being, The Food Bank operates multiple specialized programs:

Food Finder: The Food Bank has a map that shows where free groceries, fresh produce, and meals are located. Enter your location on their Food Finder website here to find food near you.

Senior Nutrition Programs: Through the Reach and Senior Food Box programs, the Food Bank delivers tailored food boxes to income-eligible seniors and homebound elders. The Reach program provides groceries, including dairy and meats, to homebound seniors and those with special needs. The Senior Food Box program, in partnership with the USDA’s Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), sends monthly boxes of items, such as canned fruits, vegetables, protein sources, and whole grains, to seniors aged 60 and above whose incomes fall at or below 130 percent of federal poverty guidelines. See if you qualify by clicking here.

BackPack Programs: To prevent childhood hunger when school is out, the BRAFB’s BackPack initiative supplies children and families at risk of food insecurity with weekend and holiday food packs. Community-sponsored BackPack partners, such as church groups, civic organizations, and local businesses, help fund and distribute these packs, which contain nutritious, kid-friendly foods that children can prepare at home. This ensures that children do not worry about their next meal when they leave school on Fridays. To learn more about this specific program, email backpacks@brafb.org.

Summer Food Service Program (SFSP): When school cafeterias close for summer, BRAFB helps by providing free, healthy breakfasts and lunches to children at risk of hunger. In summer 2024, the Food Bank served over 34,000 meals to approximately 550 children through partnerships with summer camps, Boys and Girls Clubs, churches, and recreation programs. By offering protein-rich entrees, fruits, vegetables, and wholesome snacks, the SFSP helps kids maintain healthy growth and stay ready to learn. For more information, distribution times, and locations, click here.

Food Pharmacy: Recognizing food as medicine, the Food Bank’s Food Pharmacy collaborates with regional healthcare providers, including free clinics, community health centers, and dialysis clinics, to prescribe fresh produce and nutritious groceries to patients managing chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. Qualified patients receive monthly “prescriptions” for fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, along with education materials and recipes. These medically tailored food boxes complement clinical care, helping reduce hospital readmissions and improve overall health outcomes.

How can you get involved in helping BRAFB?

Volunteers play a pivotal role in helping to feed those in need in our community. Opportunities exist for everyone to serve, including sorting and packing donations at the warehouses to staffing mobile distributions, and packing Senior Food Boxes. Monthly, hundreds of individuals and groups lend their time to help the Food Bank fulfill tens of thousands of food orders. Local businesses, faith groups, schools, and civic clubs host food and fund drives, collecting nonperishable items and raising dollars to purchase bulk groceries at The Food Bank’s volume-discounted rates. Every dollar donated translates into more than three meals, making financial gifts as impactful as food donations.

With the recent federal funding cuts, how can you help support the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s mission?

While the Food Bank’s programs are robust, recent federal funding cuts, such as USDA program holdbacks and proposed SNAP eligibility changes, threaten to reduce bulk food receiving by several hundred thousand pounds this year. These reductions mean the Food Bank must allocate more of its budget to purchase replacement groceries, putting strain on operations. As federal support becomes less predictable, community contributions become even more critical.

Here’s how you can support the Food Bank’s mission:

Donate Financially: Visit brafb.org/donate to make a one-time or recurring gift. Every $1 provides over 3 meals.

Host a Food Drive: Collect nonperishable, protein-rich, and shelf-stable items through your workplace, school, or neighborhood.

Volunteer: Sign up at brafb.org/volunteer to help at warehouses, mobile pantries, and packing events.

Advocate: Urge lawmakers to protect and strengthen nutrition assistance programs by contacting your state and federal representatives.

By focusing on access to nutritious food, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank sustains an effort to end hunger in central and western Virginia. With community support, the Food Bank can continue to expand its reach, ensuring that children, seniors, and families in every county have the healthy meals they need to thrive.

For more information on Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, visit them on the web at https://www.brafb.org/