Hunger doesn’t take weekends off: How to help Virginians facing food insecurity

Many Virginia families depend on school meals to keep their kids fed during the week—but hunger doesn’t pause when classes end. Here’s how you can help support programs fighting food insecurity across the commonwealth.

Before I was a newsletter editor here, I was a reporter in Southwest Virginia—and my main beat was education.

Sure, I wrote about unique class projects in Martinsville and followed construction updates on many of the public school buildings in Henry County. I expected to pen those types of articles. 

What I didn’t anticipate was getting a crash course on food insecurity in that area. In many of the local schools in that region, that rate was so high that all kids received free meals. 

I remember talking with a school nutrition director and some cafeteria managers for articles from time to time. Whether they were in Martinsville or Henry County, they each told me the same thing: For some of the students, the food they received at school was the only portion they got for the remainder of the day. 

Needless to say, the no-cost school meals helped local families a lot during the week. Then came the weekends.

Meeting a need

My editor at the time had a knack for finding things, and he’d recently learned about a “backpack program” headed up by the Community Storehouse in Martinsville. Through that, students with families facing financial struggles would receive a backpack on Friday filled with kid-friendly foods to enjoy when school wasn’t in session on Saturday and Sunday.

I asked what folks could donate, and the director gave three basic guidelines. Be sure the kids could: Open it, make it, and enjoy it. So, the single serve pop-top pastas or instant mac and cheese were great, but the ingredients for a kale smoothie? Not so much. 

Even though that was eight or nine years ago—and places like the Community Storehouse, Grace Network, the Martinsville Salvation Army, and other local organizations make an incredible impact on the area—Martinsville maintains one of the top 20 highest food insecurity rates for children in the commonwealth.

According to Feeding Southwest Virginia’s interactive Map the Meal Gap feature, 28% of children in Martinsville faced food insecurity in 2023. But it isn’t just an issue in Southwest—nearby Danville, in the Southside region, had a 36% food insecurity rate, and Petersburg, located 25 miles south of Richmond, held the highest rate in the state at 39%. 

Here’s how to help

Another surprising thing I learned about supporting local food pantries was that while nonperishable items were, of course, wonderful, monetary donations could stretch quite a ways, too. 

See, many of the food pantries I featured had partnerships where they were able to place orders for far cheaper than if I went to the store and bought the same product to donate. For example, at Feeding Southwest Virginia, a $10 donation provides 20 meals—and 95% of donations go directly to the nonprofit organization’s programs.

If donating money or food isn’t feasible, volunteering is a great, free way to show support. From helping with donation drives to stocking pantry shelves or helping with the check-in process for neighbors in need of services, volunteers are a vital part of many nonprofit operations.

Sharing on social media also helps spread the word. Taking a few moments to repost information about an upcoming food drive or share a donation link is a great way to keep your friends and family members informed.

As we head into the colder months and the holiday season—a time when many of us gather around full tables—remember that not everyone has that same security. If you’re able, consider donating, volunteering, or simply spreading the word about local programs that help fill those meal gaps. 

Because while hunger doesn’t take weekends off, neither do the people working to fight it.