HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — The Virginia Peninsula Foodbank just did a complete inventory and Chief Executive Officer Karen Joyner said the numbers are as low as she has ever seen.
Joyner told WAVY the number of people who need assistance putting food on the table is up 30% from last year and donations are down 50%.
Foodbank Development Director, Donna Tighe said, “A lot of families are reaching out with the SNAP ending, the emergency allotment for SNAP that ended back in February.”
Groceries, gas and rent are going through the roof, she said, sending many more than before to drive-thru panties . The foodbank holds about a dozen a month and recently had to turn away families in need.
“It is difficult to have to tell someone, but we have about 140 wonderful partner agencies that they can reach out to as well,” Tighe said.
Those partners, however, also rely on what’s on the shelves at the foodbank and currently there is not much to go around. Most of the shelves are bare.
“We need our community really to help us out,” Tighe said.
Cash is king when it comes to donating. The foodbank can buy truckloads of food at deeply discounted prices. They also accept fresh produce from your home garden and encourage people and organizations to hold food drives. They even have the boxes and web page designs to help you organize one and help get more food moving into the warehouse and out to family houses in the community.
You can donate to the food bank here.
