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The Nelson Mobile Food Pantry has been rescheduled for Tuesday, October 8. In the meantime, please visit our Food Finder tool to find food near you.

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Summer Food Service

Ensuring children have access to nutritious food all summer

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The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank participates in the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), starting in late May, helping ensure that children across the region have access to nutritious food to fuel their learning, play, and growth all summer.

The program helps feed children across the region every day during the summer.

One in 11 children in the Food Bank service area is food insecure. The Summer Food Service Program is designed to reach children who may not get nutritious meals at home over the school’s summer break. Students receiving free or reduced-price meals during the school year are at particular risk.

The Food Bank provides wholesome breakfast items, vegetables, fruit, dishes with protein from meat and other sources, and fun healthy snacks to organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs, summer school programs, churches, and recreation programs that serve children at risk of being food insecure. It is provided to all children without charge, helping children thrive and stay on track for healthy development.

The Food Bank will serve approximately 550 children through SFSP, providing over 34,000 meals to children across our service area during the summer program. Please check this site early next year, for an updated list of sites that will participate in the Summer Food Service Programs for 2025.

Families who need food assistance can access the Food Bank’s Food Finder tool to locate local food pantries.

You can find the USDA nondiscrimination statement here.

Learn more

This is one of many programs the Food Bank operates in order to help children across the Blue Ridge. Learn more about the Food Bank’s programs.