Food Drive Collects Almost 1,000 Pounds of Nonperishables
Emergency Effort by Shenandoah University Benefits Blue Ridge Area Food Bank And Those It Serves
Shenandoah University’s emergency food drive for the Winchester-Frederick County community held throughout the last week of October netted 925 pounds of nonperishable food, which was delivered to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank (BRAFB) on Halloween. This is expected to assist more than 700 families, according to Rebecca Gibson, director of the university’s Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), which sponsored the drive.
Helping Reduce Food Insecurity During The Federal Government Shutdown
The drive aims to help people affected by the federal government shutdown, which has altered Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Payments, which approximately 130,000 regional residents use. Tens of thousands of federal workers in the area are also without paychecks due to the shutdown.
“Although Virginia’s budget surplus will provide SNAP recipients with state benefits through an emergency nutrition assistance program, we know that many families in our community still struggle to make ends meet due to the government shutdown,” Gibson writes in a message to university faculty and staff thanking them for their generosity. CCE is still delivering food purchased from the drive’s Amazon wish list to the BRAFB as it arrives.
Gibson also encouraged people to consider donating to other local food drives on campus and in the community.
Campus Food Collections
This week on campus, Sigma Nu is sponsoring a food drive where people can donate at the fraternity’s table in the Brandt Student Center. Those interested can contact noah.frank@sigmanu.org for more information. Additionally, the university’s active chapter of Food Recovery Network collects surplus dining hall food twice a week and provides it to campus and community organizations.
Buzzy’s Food Pantry on Shenandoah’s main campus is an option for students, faculty and staff. “The pantry is stocked with healthy options in individual and family-size servings,” Gibson said. Those interested in supporting the pantry can donate to Buzzy’s Food Pantry – Alumni & Giving – Shenandoah University directly or purchase items from the Amazon wish list for Buzzy’s Food Pantry.
Community Donation Sites
The Winchester area is home to several Friendly Neighborhood Freedges (continuously accessible refrigerators filled with free meals and perishable food). The freedges are always open for donations. You can find a list of area Freedge locations on the CCAP website at https://ccapwinchester.org/what-we-provide. Another Freedge is located on the porch of Wayside Inn/Clem’s Kitchen at 7783 Main St. in Middletown, Virginia.
Learn More
To learn more about the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, including how to support its operations, visit https://www.brafb.org.
To find a food pantry, visit https://foodfinder.brafb.org. More information about food assistance is available at https://www.usa.gov/emergency-food-assistance.
