*Please note: In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the inaugural Mobile Food Pantry distribution in Reva—previously planned for March 25, 2020—has been postponed.
Our Mobile Food Pantry first hit the road back in 2010. Our goal then was to provide food in a rural location where there were few—if any—food assistance resources available: We’d bring our refrigerated truck to a location for distribution until a partner food pantry opened. As time passed, the program expanded, and with generous support from many donors, a different strategy emerged. In rural communities where access to food assistance and fresh produce is lacking, the Mobile Food Pantry meets neighbors where they are. Ten years later, thanks to your generosity, the Food Bank will soon launch its 10th mobile distribution site in Reva, Virginia. (View all locations here.)
Mobile distributions not only keep food out of the waste stream, but they circulate that surplus into rural communities where it’s most needed. The strategic placement of the new site in Reva means we can distribute food to residents in both Madison and Culpeper Counties. Thanks to support from our friends at Madison United for Nutrition, Community, and Health (MUNCH), the Food Bank is uniquely positioned to serve and connect neighbors across county lines. Although Reva is located in Culpeper County, the MUNCH team has demonstrated tremendous ownership of and investment in the program launch. We are beyond grateful to this community coalition for not only connecting us to a site coordinator and volunteers from Novum Baptist Church, but for floating the idea of the distribution location at Reva’s fire station.
Melissa Wender, program coordinator for the Senior Food Box Program (CSFP) and Mobile Food Pantry, calls our mobile distributions an “extravaganza” because the experience radiates energy. Neighbors in need line up to wait patiently in their cars. Volunteers arrive early to meet the refrigerated truck; quickly and rhythmically, they unload heaping packs of produce and nonperishable foods, fill bags along an assembly line, and load the bags into clients’ cars. “It’s one of those volunteering opportunities where you feel immensely useful,” Melissa says. “It’s usually like, ‘Oh, I’m really glad I came! This would’ve been a whole lot more work if those people had to do it without me.’” Occasionally, the Food Bank will also organize volunteers to Walk the Line, sharing recipes and tips for healthy living to the waiting clients.
Many clients set aside their own hardships to support one another. Because many rural residents lack access to reliable transportation, it’s common for neighbors to pick up food for homebound friends and/or family members. “Even after clients leave, the Mobile Food Pantry doesn’t necessarily end for them,” Melissa says. “They might be stopping at three places on their way home to deliver the vegetables and the crackers and the meat they got at the mobile distribution.”
You’ve helped create community, distribute hope, and make the Mobile Food Pantry possible for the past 10 years. Thank you for being a friend of the Food Bank and helping us tackle rural hunger head on as we work to ensure that everyone has enough to eat. Learn more about the program and get involved today by clicking the buttons below.