As stated in Looming: Threat to food benefits , “Hunger is no joke. Hunger can result in poor health outcomes, poor school performance, and poor job performance. It makes good decision-making hard. It forces individuals to pit basic needs against each other. Food or rent. Rent or child care. Gas or food.”
Hunger on the Northern Neck is too common and it is likely getting more pervasive given the increased/increasing cost of food and other essentials. Reps from the Upper Lancaster County Food Pantry at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lancaster, say that many of the local pantries are serving on the order of 140 families a month and pantry participation is limited to one pantry per month. This makes sense when resources are limited.
But such restrictions are hard on individuals and families, especially when combined with reduced SNAP benefits and current prices. Yesterday, I received an email asking where someone could get free food. The emailer’s brother was disabled and needed food and the emailer could only help sporadically. This is my email response:
There are, so far as I can tell, three ways your brother (and any other individual) to get free food on the Northern Neck. The first is from a food pantry with scheduled distribution days. Places like Gleamers and Blenders in Burgess/Reedville, Little Zion Baptist Church in Oak Grove, and Farnham Baptist Church in Farnham. These sites are included on the Free food on the NNK map. More information, such as restrictions, is in (Crowdsourced) Outreach on the NNK in the Food pantry/bank/meals tab. It takes some effort to receive food; it usually entails completing a simple form/application. I know people who have done it and they say it’s an easy and quick process.
Some food pantries require you only use one food pantry. Others don’t care. This information is not on the map or in the online spreadsheet. My impression is that the organization makes this clear.
The second is from an emergency food pantry. There are three: One at Kilmarnock Town Hall, one at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lancaster (Little Pink Pantry), and the Rappahannock Church of Christ Food Pantry Box in Warsaw. In addition, Warsaw United Methodist Church will provide emergency food as needed. I believe you have to call to schedule a pick-up. That info is in the spreadsheet.
The third is from organizations offering community meals. These are listed on the Free food and meals page on my blog. There are not a lot of them, but I’ve spoken with folks who have participated and they like the food and find the people welcoming.
I hope this information is helpful. I’m providing this info as someone who is not formally involved with social services in any way. . . I did policy work in DC years ago and brought my interest and skills (researching and sharing) to this in the last two years. It’s not perfect, but I’m doing what I can. If you have any suggestions about sites to include, ways to share information with the community, etc., I’d be interested!
Finally, if you live in Middlesex, Northumberland, or Lancaster counties, you can always call The Link. Their email and phone are helpandhope2012@gmail.com and (804) 480-0394.
Support local food-providing organizations
Houses of faith, local governments, and the regional food bank Healthy Harvest Food Bank cannot go this alone. That’s why today, I'm reaching out to all the organizations on the map for information about how best to support their food pantry/meal program. That information will be added to the Free food and meals page on this blog. The purpose is to make it easy for members of the public who want to reduce hunger amongst their neighbors to make cash or food donations to the free food and meals-providing orgs on the Northern Neck.