Hey, y’all. It’s Amie.

Through a “backpack program” headed up by the Community Storehouse in Martinsville, students with families facing financial struggles received a backpack on Friday filled with kid-friendly foods to enjoy when school isn’t in session on Saturday and Sunday. (Note Thanun/Unsplash)

By Amie Knowles

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 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 from time to time. Whether they were in Martinsville or Henry County, they each told me the same thing: some students received the only food they got for the rest of the day at school. Needless to say, the no-cost school meals helped local families a lot during the week. Then came the weekends.

Through a local “backpack program” run by the Community Storehouse in Martinsville, students with families facing financial struggles would receive a backpack on Friday filled with kid-friendly foods to enjoy on Saturday and Sunday when school wasn’t in session. 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 still has one of the 20 highest food insecurity rates for children in the commonwealth. 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%.

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.

Dear Grace,

With inflation rising, rent too high, groceries and gas going up, I don’t know what to do. I work full time minimum wage, and it’s just not enough. Better jobs seem non-existent. Sometimes I have to choose between filling up my car to get to work and eating. Is there any breathing room for us in life anymore? Or is this permanent depression for us all?

– Concerned Cashier in Kentucky

Dear Concerned Cashier,

You are not alone in wondering why it is so hard to get by. Working people across the country are struggling just like you. I think we can all agree that in a country as rich as America, no one should be going to bed hungry. It’s not fair that even after working so hard and doing everything right, it’s still not enough. It’s no wonder you’re feeling concerned, exhausted, and maybe even a little hopeless.

Now I don’t have a crystal ball, so I can’t tell you for certain what the future will bring. I don’t know if more jobs will come to your community, if the minimum wage will be raised, or if the cost-of-living crisis will cool off; all of those big problems need big solutions. But even though you aren’t sitting at the table where laws and policies are written, you are a part of the economy—we all are. Your work matters, your voice matters, and you have a say in how our economy functions.

Here’s my advice on how to get a little more breathing room, a little more help, and a little more hope…

My husband, our son, and I recently drove to Wilmington, North Carolina, to attend my sister-in-law’s college graduation. It’s only about four hours from where we live, but we put well over $100 worth of gas in our 12-year-old, fuel-efficient, four-door sedan just to get there and back.

I think I might’ve fainted if we had driven our 20-year-old truck instead. Gas around here in the Southside? It’s been $4.39 for the past week, which, in my humble opinion, is absolutely ridiculous.

Across Virginia, I’m seeing it as “low” as slightly under $4 and as high as $4.49 in Fairfax.

How are gas prices in your part of the state?

Write to me and let me know.

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