Dear Friends of the Food Bank,
Our hearts go out to those who have already been impacted by COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
I write to share our current focus and short-term plan at the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. Although the impact of this outbreak is changing every day in our part of Virginia and our path forward is difficult to predict, we are monitoring conditions closely and responding quickly. We are doing everything we can to ensure those who depend on us continue to receive nutritious food.
The Food Bank provides an essential human service, and so we move forward day by day with your continued support.
We frequently update our status on our website, so check back often for the latest.
Keeping everyone safe
As always, the safety of our staff, volunteers, and clients remains our highest priority. We have intensified already rigorous sanitation procedures and personal hygiene protocols throughout all facilities. We are sharing these best practices and materials with our food pantry partners.
Maintaining the food supply and distribution
Throughout this outbreak, our goal is to continue to distribute food to our neighbors in need. The population of people in need is changing quickly, and we anticipate great demand across the 25 counties and 8 cities we serve in the coming weeks.
Some highlights of our work to date:
- We have spent $153,000 so far to purchase 14,000 boxes of pre-packed food to distribute, in case we cannot rely on a volunteer force to help us pack.
- We are using, and encouraging food pantries to use, low-touch and no-touch food distribution models for now to minimize risk of exposure.
- We are focused on these priorities:
- providing food to our network of 205 food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters and established program partners;
- emphasizing outreach to seniors who may become more isolated during the outbreak;
- responding as we can to requests from new partners to help feed seniors and children.
We are working with state and local authorities to coordinate responses and resources across our region.
Many seniors and families were already experiencing hunger before the pandemic. Preparing for illness and isolation is a luxury they can’t afford—but together, we are trying to help.
What you can do
Many people have asked how they can make a difference. Here are a few suggestions that could have an immediate impact on our ability to respond to the need:
Donate money – Our resources will be stretched and strained in the coming months in ways we cannot even imagine today. Making a financial gift—left unrestricted to use where the need is greatest—will give us flexibility to respond as things change. Typically, we can provide 4 meals for every $1 contributed.
Volunteer – We need more volunteers than ever! If you are healthy and willing to donate your time and energy, thank you for sharing those gifts at the Food Bank or a local food pantry near you. We update our online volunteer calendar frequently, so check back often.
Share – Enlist your network. You can share our emails, engage with our social media posts, or consider creating an online drive (virtual food!) or Facebook fundraiser to benefit the Food Bank. The more we come together, the stronger we will all be on the other side of this.
We remain passionate about our mission and committed to the well-being of our neighbors. During these challenging times, we will continue to serve those in need throughout our service area.
Thank you for your confidence in our abilities, and please stay well.
In deepest appreciation,
