Our Programs

Kids Farmers Market

The Kids Farmers Market Program is an interactive experience that provides free produce and nutrition education to children of families who may not have the financial means to purchase produce on a consistent basis or do not have access to a reliable source of produce. Participating children also learn valuable financial literacy skills in the process. All children are given fun Food Bank Bucks to spend at the Farmers Market on items of their choice. Kids Farmers Markets are held throughout our service region at various sites convenient for families.

The 2022 Map the Meal Gap study conducted by Feeding America projects that 15.7% of children in Southwest Virginia are food insecure. This is compared to a statewide food insecurity rate of 9.7% among children living in Virginia. Our region continues to be disproportionately affected by food insecurity.

Healthy eating is essential for a child’s good health, growth and development. Healthy eating in childhood means they will have less chance of developing chronic diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and some cancers.

Mobile Food Pantry

Feeding SWVA’s Mobile Food Pantry (MFP) distributes food to targeted areas in our service region that are designated underserved as it is difficult to reach or lacks available brick -and- mortar pantries. The Mobile Food Pantry is a tractor trailer that delivers an average of 10,000 pounds of food per truckload to 11 sites throughout far Southwest Virginia. These grocery items include: shelf-stable food, frozen items and fresh dairy products that are all allocated through federal feeding programs.

20 of Feeding SWVA’s 35 localities are rural according to the USDA’s Rural-Urban Continuum Code. Feeding America reports that people who live in rural areas experience hunger at higher rates and face unique challenges for food security. These challenges include: a lack of transportation, far distance to grocery stores or food pantries, job opportunities concentrated in low-wage industries, and high unemployment rates.

In many rural counties in our service region, the food insecurity rate is much higher than the state average of 8.1%. For instance, the food insecurity rate in Buchanan County is 18.8%, 17.7% in Dickinson County, and 17.9% in Lee County.

The Mobile Food Pantry is a valuable resource in helping to end hunger in rural SW Virginia.

Mobile Marketplace

Feeding SWVA’s Mobile Marketplace is an innovative direct-service program designed to provide food accessibility to underserved demographic groups and rural locations. There are two Mobile Marketplace trucks, one that visits far Southwest locations and one that visits the northern part of our service region. The Mobile Marketplace Program delivers fresh, convenient, and affordable groceries for purchase with SNAP or credit/debit cards and conducts SNAP outreach. The Mobile Marketplace is also a Virginia Fresh Match outlet that offers local produce and allows SNAP customers to receive 50% off produce purchases.

The Mobile Marketplace Program provides greater food security and food access to affordable groceries to underserved and rural communities. This “grocery store on wheels” provides critical food access to our neighbors.

ONLY FOR THE SALEM/ROANOKE AREA

Online Ordering Link: Mobile Marketplace Order Form (jotform.com)
Email Address: salem.mmp@feedingswva.org
Phone Number: 540-299-0990

Children’s Feeding Programs

1 in 8 children in Southwest Virginia will go to bed hungry tonight.

Hunger is a public health issue that has terrible effects on students’ academic and social growth. In addition to physical and cognitive negative effects, hunger often results in emotional and social roadblocks, according to Feeding America. Children experiencing hunger may feel ashamed and have trouble connecting with their peers and feel isolated and alone. Hungry children have lower math and reading scores by the 4th grade. We often think of school supplies as pencils, paper and crayons, but often the best school supply is food.

Feeding Southwest Virginia’s After School Program: The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federally funded reimbursable program that provides nutritious meals and snacks to eligible children who are enrolled in after-school programs during the school year.

The Summer Food Services Program (SFSP) is a federally funded reimbursable program that provides nutritious meals and snacks to children during the summer months when school is not in session.

Backpacks

Feeding SWVA’s Backpack Programs provide children at risk of hunger with food on weekends and holiday breaks when school meals are not available. Feeding SWVA distributes backpacks through its partner programs and direct distribution.

• The Agency Backpack Program supplies partner agencies with backpack friendly food for purchase, which is subsequently packed and distributed to children who receive free or reduced-price school meals during the week. Backpacks are distributed on weekends and holiday breaks to ensure children have the food they need at home.
• Feeding SWVA is coming alongside the United Way of Southwest Virginia to adopt and expand its existing Backpack Program. Through the program, Feeding SWVA is working together with more than 20 local schools in far Southwest Virginia to ensure children who are food insecure receive nourishment on weekends.

Abingdon Children’s Feeding Kitchen

The Abingdon Children’s Feeding Kitchen prepares and delivers hundreds of hot, fresh meals daily that are distributed to children in need enrolled in after-school and summer enrichment programs in Abingdon and the surrounding area.

Senior Food Box Program

Senior Food Boxes contain food obtained from the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) that is then packed by volunteers at the Food Bank, along with nutrition education and recipe cards. This is the USDA’s only program that specifically targets low-income seniors and is open to individuals age 60 and over with incomes at or below 130% of the 2020 federal poverty guidelines. These boxes are then distributed throughout our service region.

As we know, many of our older adult neighbors must live on a small, fixed income. When budgets get tight, senior shoppers frequently sacrifice healthy food, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, or try to not eat as frequently in order to be able to afford utilities or medicines. Senior Food Boxes help older adults stretch their monthly budgets.

Cafe to Grow Food Truck

The Cafe to Grow Food Truck delivers fresh meals to children in underserved, low-income neighborhoods in Roanoke through the After-School and Summer Feeding Programs. Staff and volunteers offer children, at multiple sites, a choice between two entrees served with fruit, vegetables, and milk.

Available for Special Events

When the truck is not serving these programs, it is available for a limited number of Special Events for children and their families. Do you have an event that will serve children at risk of food insecurity in the Roanoke Valley? Please contact Ms. Brandon Comer, Director of Children’s Programs, for more information.

540-342-3011 x7023 or by email at bcomer@feedingswva.org

Please allow a minimum of 4 weeks between your request and the date of your event.

Community Solutions Center

The mission of the Community Solutions Center is to educate, engage and empower the community. Launched in May 2018, Feeding Southwest Virginia transformed a building that was once the highest crime address in Roanoke into the Community Solutions Center. Before it became a high crime nightclub, the CSC location was once the home of an iconic, family-owned business, Lowell’s Restuarant. This thriving business in the late 80s and 90s served some of the best soul food in the city. Years later, the property was sold and fell into disrepair. Thanks to a large-scale partnership between the Northwest Roanoke community, Food Lion, City of Roanoke, and Feeding Southwest Virginia, the Community Solutions Center was born.

Children’s Feeding Kitchen

The Community Solutions Center hosts an active kitchen that prepares 300-600 hot meals daily to be delivered to various children’s feeding sites throughout Roanoke. These meals are served to children at risk of hunger at after-school and summer feeding programs.

The CSC Neighborhood Food Pantry

The Community Solutions Center hosts a Client Choice Healthy Pantry. This Pantry creates greater access to healthy foods, including cultural foods , that are available free-of-charge to neighbors who are food insecure in NW Roanoke. The Pantry allows guests to make their own “shopping” choices from a balanced selection of fresh produce, eggs, dairy, frozen meats, non-perishable foods, as well as some ready- to- eat items. The Pantry is open Tuesday and Thursday morning 10am to 12pm (except holidays). Guests are welcome to visit once a month. Walk-ins during open hours are welcome, though guests are encouraged to make a reservation by calling 540 521 6297 if they prefer to have a shorter wait during their visit to the Pantry.

For more information, contact:

Kevin Wood

kwood@feedingswva.org

Community Solutions Center Council

The Community Solutions Center hosts the CSC Council, which is made up of neighbors who live and work in the neighborhood, to focus on matters that directly concern the NW Roanoke community. NW Roanoke is a declared food desert with 23.72% of the Roanoke City population having low access to a grocery store. The CSC Council will address the lack of food access and advocate for policies that encourage development and prosperity in the NW community.

Food Farmacy

The Food Farmacy Program is Feeding Southwest Virginia’s hunger and health initiative. Food insecurity leads to a greater risk of chronic illness, including diabetes and hypertension. The Food Farmacy Program aims to use “food as medicine” to empower our neighbors for stronger, healthier and more productive lives. Through this initiative, Healthy Choice Food Boxes and fresh produce are distributed through the following healthcare partnerships:

• Wellness and Nutrition Workshops: Feeding SWVA partners with healthcare organizations in the Roanoke Valley including Carilion, Bradley Free Clinic and New Horizons Heathcare to complement nutrition education offered to chronically ill patients, peer recovery groups, and all who are interested in learning more about healthy eating.
• Homecare Food Delivery: Feeding SWVA partners with several home healthcare providers in far Southwest Virginia to deliver food boxes to home health and hospice patients who are food insecure. Through this partnership, nurses deliver healthy food boxes during in-home visits.
• Mount Rogers Community Services Partnership: Feeding SWVA partners with Mount Rogers, which provides services for individuals with mental health, intellectual, and developmental disabilities. Through this partnership, Feeding SWVA provides food boxes to patients identified as food insecure.
• Local Health Departments Partnership: Feeding SWVA regularly provides food boxes for local health departments to distribute to patients who are food insecure.
• Health Wagon Partnership: Feeding SWVA partners with the Health Wagon, a mobile clinic that provides healthcare services to medically underserved people in rural Southwest Virginia. Feeding SWVA regularly distributes food boxes to Health Wagon patients at various health fairs.

Need Food?

Feeding Southwest Virginia Referral Assistance Program.

Referrals to a variety of local services and help applying for SNAP benefits

Call 540-299-0004

Harvest Home Community Kitchen

The Harvest Home Community Kitchen, located in our Abingdon Distribution Center, prepares and distributes home cooked meals -to -go to families and seniors in need of food assistance. Hours of operation are Tuesday-Thursday from 10am to 1pm. Meals and extra produce are offered free-of-charge to individuals at risk of food insecurity.

Unite Us

Feeding SWVA has partnered with Ballad Health as a designated Community Health Improvement site to lead the way in utilizing Virginia’s Unite Us, a data platform that supports community-wide care coordination between health and social service providers. In collaboration with Ballad Health, Feeding SWVA has a Referral Coordinator who connects patient referrals and clients with charitable food assistance and other resources.

Feeding Southwest Virginia’s Hunger & Help Line connects callers with our agency pantries, feeding programs, and makes referrals to other food assistance programs such as SNAP and WIC, to access additional food benefits. The Hunger & Help Line can also connect callers to additional services like employment training, healthcare, and housing assistance. The Hunger & Help Line is open Monday-Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm.

Need Food?

Feeding Southwest Virginia Referral Assistance

Referrals to a variety of local services and help applying for SNAP benefits

Contact Jennifer Cooper, Referral Coordinator

jecooper@feedingswva.org

Call 540-299-0004

Emergency Response And Disaster Relief

Feeding SWVA’s Emergency Response and Disaster Relief Program provides food and water during natural disasters and in times of human tragedy. From the flood of 1985, to the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007, to the most recent COVID-19 pandemic, Feeding Southwest Virginia Food Bank stands ready to serve our neighbors in need in SW Virginia.