NORFOLK, Va. — The Foodbank is putting out a call for more donations.
"Now more than ever – they need donations," President and CEO of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore Dr. Ruth Jones-Nichols said.
“Because we anticipate an increased demand at this particular time, we will – in essence – get pretty close to depleting our inventory,” Jones-Nichols said.
She said her organization is mobilizing to support vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 outbreak – including senior citizens, low-income families, and children. And they’re expecting the need to skyrocket.
“We anticipate a spike in the need as a result of schools closing as well as people being very uncertain about how they’re going to put food on the tables,” Jones-Nichols explained.
She said Foodbank officials are working to target areas where distributions are needed most. Now that school has been canceled, they will focus on the tens of thousands of children who rely on free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch.
“The out-of-school time feeding programs are going to be closed and so what we will do is augment the efforts of local school districts to provide additional meals to communities where we know there’s going to be a significant need,” Jones-Nichols said.
Jones-Nichols said her teams are preparing to begin “drive-thru, grab-n-go" style distributions.
But they do need help – they’re asking for monetary donations. It takes as little as one dollar for officials to stretch that money to make sure families have what they need. You can donate to the Foodbank online via their official website.
For more information on where to find a food pantry or distribution site on the website, you can search their website and keep checking for updates.
You can also donate to the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, as well.
