The vision of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is that everyone has enough to eat. We are also aware that food insecurity often resides alongside the need for affordable housing. A community partnership between the Food Bank and the Windy Hill Foundation, located in the Lord Fairfax service region, addresses both critical needs.

Volunteers prepare to distribute food boxes

In December 2020, Food Lion volunteers went door-to-door in the Washburn apartment complex, located in Marshall, Virginia, to deliver food boxes sponsored by Food Lion along with $10 Food Lion gift cards. Neighbors were surprised to receive the much-needed food supplies and appreciated this heart-warming act on a chilly day. So were residents of four other affordable housing communities operated by the Windy Hill Foundation. The scenes from this distribution highlight not only a commitment to ensuring everyone has enough to eat, but also the link between food insecurity and housing insecurity.

According to the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign, there is an increased risk of eviction and homelessness among low-income families who struggle to pay rent. When a family is left homeless, food insecurity and other health risks often follow.

Marshall, the location of the Washburn apartment complex, is seated in Fauquier County, one of Virginia’s most expensive localities to rent, according to rankings by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC). The group’s analysis ranks Virginia 14th in the nation for housing affordability among minimum-wage workers.

According to NLIHC’s report, Virginians need to earn $23.64/hour and work 130 hours/week to afford decent housing without spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs.

What’s the solution?

According to the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign, more affordable housing and housing vouchers can create more stability for families and create space in household budgets of low-income families so they can afford to buy more food.

And at a time when the pandemic-related economic crisis threatens the housing stability of many more families, the work of the Food Bank and community partners like the Windy Hill Foundation becomes all the more important.

When you stand with the Food Bank’s partners on the frontlines of food distribution, your support not only helps provide meals to those in need, but it also helps alleviate related pressures endured by members of your community. Access to food addresses one immediate need and can result in resources available to pay the rent or mortgage.

How can you help?

Consider supporting and volunteering for a partner pantry in your community.

Volunteers deliver food at the Washburn apartment complex

Also, consider asking your federal elected officials to support emergency provisions to ensure housing and food security for vulnerable neighbors until we recover from the COVID-related economic slowdown.

Your actions can help ensure families have meals on their tables and homes to call their own.

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