Virginia Peninsula Foodbank

The mission of the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank is to distribute food effectively through collaborative efforts that minimize hunger, promote nutrition and encourage self-reliance through education.

With the decrease in food donations, Virginia Peninsula Foodbank is having to purchase the most food in our history of food banking over the last year for the 140 partner agencies who acquire food from our facility that helps stock their shelves for families in need.  Rising food and fuel costs make our work more expensive so every donation makes a tremendous impact towards ensuring that everyone has access to food during times of hardship.  For every dollar donated, the Foodbank can provide the equivalent of three healthy meals. 

"The Foodbank has been a lifesaver for my family and I - we do appreciate all they do for us and the community."

Foodbanks are rising to the challenge by collaborating with local healthcare organizations with our Food as Medicine Program so individuals have access to healthy foods that will help to improve their chronic conditions and well-being. Food has several purposes: nutritional value and provides joy. But for the chronically ill who are diabetic, experiencing congestive heart failure or going through cancer treatments, and are food insecure, they  need healthy food. Hunger impacts health. Investing in nutrition is an investment in human health and quality of life. 

At every table, there is a story to tell. For over 48,000 individuals across the greater Peninsula, the story is about making difficult choices, and food often takes the back burner. With the continued rise in costs in food, rent, and utilities, thousands of individuals are faced with hardships and obstacles they never expected.  Anyone can be impacted by food insecurity as we experienced during the pandemic.  Your compassion ensure that everyone has a plate at the table, and a story that gives them hope for a healthier future.  

Advocating to Fight Hunger

Nakisha is a veteran and a former client of the Foodbank. She says she has been homeless twice, and in 2019, she found herself struggling to take care of her three boys amidst a separation. "The basic thing as a parent that I was supposed to do - you know, feed them, clothe them, on tope of loving them - I didn't want to rob them of that," she describes. "And the Foodbank was definitely very helpful in aiding to make sure all of us were able to eat a balanced meal." 

Nakisha says now that she's in a better place financially, she is advocating to fight hunger. "As veterans, we want a seat at the table. As mothers, we want a seat at the table, but the catch is, we want something to be on that table," she says. "I don't want anyone to go through what I did." Nakisha points out that the COVID-19 pandemic proved that anyone can be affected. "No one is above the struggle. Everyone goes through something, so don't be ashamed." 

Our supporters play a very important role in helping the Foodbank provide nourishment to children, families, and seniors experiencing the fears of food insecurity. Due to the rising food costs and the long-term impacts of the pandemic, so many families need help. Your generosity helps us meet the need in our community so no one goes hungry. We never fulfill our mission alone. Our community makes our mission possible.

Virginia Peninsula Foodbank is committed to leading the effort for a hunger-free community through feeding programs and collaborative community partnerships. We serve children, seniors, low-income families, and veterans in the cities and counties of Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, James City County, Gloucester, Mathews, York, Poquoson and Surry.

Established in 1986, Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, a member of Feeding America, and one of seven food banks in the Commonwealth of Virginia, provides hunger relief to the Peninsula residents who are experiencing food insecurity. Our service area has one of the highest percentages of food insecurity in Virginia at 8.8% vs. the state average of 8.1%. This means that an average of 48,000 people in our community struggle to obtain healthy food on any given day; of that number, close to 18,000 are children. The Foodbank has over 300,000 visits to our food pantries and drive-through food distributions annually.

There is no more basic need than nutritious food to live a healthy life. However, thousands lack the resources to meet this need. The Foodbank plays a vital role in the lives of those who are food insecure, meaning they lack consistent, dependable access to enough food for all household members to lead active and healthy lives. Working in partnership with nearly 200 partner agencies and programs, the Foodbank has provided close to 236 million meals to help our neighbors facing the fears of food insecurity.

Hunger doesn’t discriminate and is a daily concern for children needing nutritious meals to succeed, seniors living on fixed incomes, and families challenged by economic hardships. 

Virginia Penin…