Hey, y’all. It’s Amie.

In less than a week, many of us will gather around tables with family and friends to enjoy a Thanksgiving spread. Personally, I always look forward to driving to various relatives’ homes to enjoy the festivities.

Sadly, not everyone has that opportunity. Food insecurity continues to affect households throughout Virginia. In a couple of weeks, we’ll be sharing ideas of how to help support your neighbors in a special edition newsletter—but today, we’re highlighting one of those stories a little early, just in time to kick off the holiday season. I’m so glad you’re here.

Give back this holiday season by supporting local food pantries. (Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock)

By Aila Boyd

Here’s what you need to know: Food pantries are working overtime in Virginia to ensure no one goes hungry this holiday season. From Northern Virginia to Southwest Virginia, these organizations rely on the generosity of those willing to donate their time, money, and food to keep their shelves stocked and food in the hands of those in need.

Our top picks:

• ALIVE! serves the greatest number of people in need of food assistance of any organization in Alexandria: up to 20,000 individuals a month. It was founded in 1969. Today, the organization serves the community through food hubs, pantry partnerships, and distribution sites.

• Healthy Harvest Food Bank serves a six-county area in the Northern Neck and Upper Middle Peninsula, making it the only organization of its kind in the region. Those who donate to the organization can rest easily knowing that 94% of its operating expenses go directly to feed those in need.

• With perhaps the biggest footprint of any food pantry on this list, Feeding Southwest Virginia serves a 26-county and nine-city region. Founded in 1981, it’s part of Feeding America. Today, the organization operates a network of over 400 feeding programs that nourish 114,494 people each month.

Be the reason someone eats today. Learn more about how you can support these and other programs at the link below.

On Monday, we asked readers to write in about caring heroes in their communities.

Dogwood reader Chad P. nominated Kathy Dix for the honor. Dix is a wellness coach at the Danville Family YMCA, who has a positive impact on the members she serves.

“She is always happy and energetic,” Chad said. “Her enthusiasm is contagious—especially in the line dancing class. She gets people moving!”

Want to tell us about someone who brings the good vibes to your area? Write to me at amie@couriernewsroom.com and tell me all about them.

In an era of accessible AI technology, rising polarization, and a declining trust in the mainstream media, we are more vulnerable to disinformation than ever. (Katja Anokhina/Unsplash)

By Ryan Pitkin

“The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with…” We won’t finish that quote from Steve Bannon, but suffice to say, the expletive he ended with essentially means disinformation. 

Misinformation—defined as false, misleading, or manipulated content presented as fact—comes in many forms. When it’s shared deliberately to mislead, it becomes disinformation, a favorite tool of authoritarian leaders and regimes.  

Why do they do it? First, to create false narratives that keep supporters convinced power must stay in certain hands. Second, to distract the public from whatever bad faith efforts they are pulling off out of view. 

The antidote is media literacy. That includes:

• Knowing how to distinguish between news, opinion, analysis, and commentary.
• Finding credible media outlets you trust and fact-checking the news you consume from them.
• Learning how to identify altered images, deepfake videos, and AI-generated content.

In an era of accessible AI technology, rising polarization, and a declining trust in the mainstream media, we are more vulnerable to disinformation than ever. But knowledge is power: The more informed you are, the harder it is to be manipulated.

If you’ve enjoyed this series, which wraps up today, please consider supporting our work to bring more content like this to the forefront.

• Are you participating in the “We Ain’t Buying It” economic boycott? My North Carolina-based colleague, Billy Ball, wrote about how organizers are asking Americans to boycott select retailers for allying with or failing to stand up to the Trump administration. (Read more)

• Virginians overwhelmingly voted for clean energy candidates in this month’s elections—yet energy companies like Dominion and Appalachian Power are doubling down on fossil fuels.  Not only does “dirty gas” harm families’ bank accounts, it hurts their futures too. (Watch here)

• State Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy (D-Woodbridge) will have more than just Virginia Republicans to convince about the merits of repealing Virginia’s “right-to-work” law. Democrat and governor-elect Abigail Spanberger was clear on the campaign trail that she did not support repealing the law. (Read more)

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