Although the sun rose just a few hours earlier, the town of Orange is already sweltering, clocking upper 80–degree temperatures by the time midmorning hits. Wet, warm air wraps around Booster Park while vehicles arrive at the scene, forming rows along the edge of a baseball field. It’s 8:45 a.m., and the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s Mobile Food Pantry distribution will kick off in a little over an hour.
Just around the bend, under a pavilion, a pack of volunteers anticipates the arrival of two Food Bank trucks. Today, the trailers will be stuffed with produce boxes, taco meat, organic blueberries, and shredded cheese—enough food to serve 290 households.
Some clients arrive three hours early to snag top spots in a line that’s lengthened in the past few months. The rise of COVID-19 has spurred a rise in need: More than 150,000 individuals have filed for unemployment in the Blue Ridge area since March, so the uptick is understandable. Many families have turned to the Food Bank for much-needed relief during an uncertain time.
Navigating a “new normal”
On this particular Tuesday in late July, 12 families new to food assistance are expected to cycle through. One such household is represented by Sherrie Burton, who graciously agrees to share her story: “I’m sure there [are] a lot of people who don’t know [what it’s like at a food pantry],” she says. Her strawberry hair reflects the sun’s warmth. “[You] look around and…see [a lot of people are] going through the same thing you’re going through.”
Sherrie resides in Orange County with her husband, Roy, and two children, ages 16 and 4. Roy, a plumber, previously operated his own business, but his once steady stream of work dried up along with the economy. Meanwhile, COVID-19 dismantled Sherrie’s in-home daycare service. “I lost all my kids,” she says, referencing the four children she once hosted. Still, she shines with a caretaker’s kindness. (The back of her shirt reads, “My greatest blessings call me Mimi.”)
A family-first mentality
Despite it all, Sherrie refuses to let anxiety hold her back. “We have to keep a smile on our face[s] for our children…so they don’t worry,” she says. To make up for lost income, she took on two new jobs—one as a food server and another cleaning houses. Venturing into others’ homes is “a scare every day,” as she’s left worried about potentially “bringing [the virus] home to [her] family.” Although all the change feels “like a nightmare,” she pushes forward, bolstered by faith and family loyalty. As for Roy, he’s been holding down the house while Sherrie doubles up on shifts.
At a time when providing for her loved ones feels tougher than ever, Sherrie plugs into her personal catchphrase: “Go, God, go.” She worries about her teen daughter, set to enter 11th grade at a new school—during an age of social-distancing mandates. And how can Sherrie best address the needs of her adopted son, a preschooler with autism? She’s decided to “give it to God.” And in relaying the details of her own story, she hopes to encourage others to keep the faith and lean into love.
Setting the table for a brighter tomorrow
With your help, the Food Bank has been able to respond swiftly and flexibly to the health and economic crisis. By July 1, COVID-related expenses had already topped $1.9 million (90% of those dollars supplied food). And record amounts of food are flowing into neighbors’ homes, as demonstrated by a 30% year-over-year increase in pounds distributed between March and June.
To all Food Bank supporters, Sherrie sends a sincere “thank you.” Without this distribution, she says, the food in her household wouldn’t be as healthy, nor would the produce be as fresh. When she finally steers away from the park, her trunk packed with food boxes, her sights are set on home. The sun glints in an open sky. Her car skates past an ocean of grass. She presses on, propelled by hope.
To learn more about the impact of hunger in central and western Virginia, visit www.brafb.org/hunger-in-our-area.