CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is continuing their free meals for local students over the summer, helping at a time when many families are in need of additional support.
This program is designed to reach families who rely on the breakfast and lunches students receive in schools.
“The children really need that nutrition to learn and thrive and grow and we are working to make sure that they don’t have to worry about where their next meal is coming from,” Communications and Public Relations manager for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, Les Sinclair, told Cville Right Now.
Nearly one in 10 Virginias receive support from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or other food assistance, but that money supplements the school meals during the school year.
“These are not luxury benefits being given,” said Senator Tim Kaine during an online press conference this month. “I talked to somebody today and they get about $4.75 of food benefit a day. That’s not a lot to buy food with prices where they are.”
The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is working to help offset these struggles that many local families are facing when trying to feed their children. The organization boxes food supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and distributes it through 25 area locations.
“Making sure that these programs are available to the kids of parents who are on the margins when the school is out means that they are going to be more capable in their lives and be able to thrive which is all what we really want for our children,” Sinclair said.
The Trump Administration’s federal budget bill, passed by the House and being considered by the Senate, will only make those struggles worse, Kaine said.
“The reconciliation bill that we have before us will give tax cuts to the wealthiest but would cut hundreds of billions of dollars out of the SNAP program that would affect kids,” said Kaine. “What we need to do is we need to defeat those cuts. Now that may mean we are going to have to reduce some of the tax break giveaways to the wealthiest, but I think that there’s more of a compelling need for low-income families with kids to have sufficient access to nutrition.”
Kaine said Virginia families would be hard hit if the bill passes the Senate.
“More than 200,000 Virginians are either going to completely lose or partially lose their SNAP benefits under the house budget,” said Kaine. “We just can’t do that.”
While the Food Bank has seen continuous increase in the need for better access to food in our community, they are also preparing for higher demands to keep coming.
“The demand for our services continues to grow,” said Sinclair. “That’s 25 drop locations this year and they’ll serve over 550 children just with this program alone and providing more than 34,000 meals to kids across our services area.”
For many struggling families, Sinclair said, access to food is just the tip of the iceberg.
“This is just one thing that will alleviate the stress of their life just a little bit so that they continue to do the hard work and try to work out a living here in a place that has such a high cost of living,” said Sinclair.
If you or someone you know is in need of better access to nutrition and support, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s website has more information.
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