Latest news with #FoodbankofSoutheasternVirginia
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
With schools out, childhood hunger increases
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – With students starting to get out of school for the summer, hunger will start to rise. Food banks across the area start to see an increase in families needing help when the school year ends. Some children rely on the school breakfast and lunch, and over the summer they may miss a meal. The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia says it starts working in January to fill the gap they start to see in the warmer months. The Foodbank says one in four children in the area will be hungry during the summer months. Adding it has seen a 30% increase since COVID and longer lines as new families show up each time. 'When you see a reduction in those federal benefits, the gap still needs to be filled by somebody. And our neighbors are going to look at us. As you know, the, you know, preeminent organization in the area of tackling food insecurity. So we're definitely hearing and seeing an increase in people that have never had to come to the foodbank before are now showing up for the first time ever,' said Jeremy Rodden, Community Engagement Manager. Hunger Heroes aims to help feed families during the busy summer months The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia has programs throughout the summer, like Hunger Heroes, that is created to combat summer hunger. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Possible reduction of SNAP Program raises alarms for Virginia foodbank
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a budget reconciliation bill Friday morning that would include deep cuts to programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. The cuts would result in 9.5 million meals lost every year, according to Feeding America, and would strain foodbanks like the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore which are already stretched thin. 'Food banks cannot fill the gap left by cuts to federal nutrition programs like SNAP,' said Christopher Tan, President and CEO of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore. 'SNAP is our country's first line of defense against hunger.' The bill, which passed with a vote of 215-214, would include major changes such as: Shifting a portion of SNAP costs to states Expanding work requirements up to age 64 and to parents of children over age seven Capping future benefit increases by making Thrifty Food Plan updates revenue neutral 'If the Senate does not remove these harmful provisions, we will see longer lines, more families in crisis, and increased pressure on our network of community partners,' Tan explained. The bill also included a proposed $625 billion in cuts to Medicaid, which would cause at least 7.6 million people to lose health coverage by 2034, according to budget analysts. 'We are asking our local community to join us in contacting their Senators during this critical time,' Tan added. 'This is not just about policy, it's about people. And right now, people need support, not cuts.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Food Lion Feeds partners with Foodbank of Southeastern VA for food distribution in Norfolk
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Food Lion Feeds teamed up with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore on Tuesday to put food on tables across Hampton Roads. The event took place at Saint Paul's Mobile Pantry as part of Food Lion's 'Thanks-A-Billion' tour. Drivers were able to pull up for volunteers to put bags of fresh and nutritious food in their vehicles. One person who picked up food, Adam Rodgers, called the program amazing. 'I think it's a wonderful thing,' Rodgers said. 'A lot of people don't have the monthly income to take care of food, there's a shortage. If you can't use it yourself, you come up here because you know eligible people and you pass it out.' According to a release, Food Lion Feeds is celebrating a milestone of 1.5 billion meals donated. Norfolk was one of seven food distribution events on the tour. For more information on Food Lion Feeds, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
More than $1 billion for feeding poor cut by Trump administration
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — In Portsmouth, visits by the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore a go a long way. A Biden-era executive order covered the cost of healthy proteins and fresh produce for satellite food bank distribution sites at Third Baptist Church and the Wesley Community Center. This week, that program was rattled by the DOGE chainsaw. 'So this would be $300,000 in funding for us,' said Chris Tann, president and CEO of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore. 'Every year, it would be over 6,000 meals a month in produce and 3,000 meals a month in protein.' Portsmouth church offers help as the federal government pulls some assistance for food Across the country, the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, has slashed more than a billion dollars in federal spending that allows foodbanks and schools to buy nutritious proteins and produce from local farms. 'So if you're talking about 6,000, 9,000 meals a month, basically between produce and protein, which is the product that we want the most of, it's also a very important product to us,' Tann said. 'This isn't just dry goods, which is always important as well, but producing protein is something that we know make people healthier. So you're talking about at least 9,000 people a month that won't have a meal.' Census poverty numbers tell the story of a region that has a disproportionate level of people who live in poverty. Portsmouth 18 % Norfolk 17 % Newport News 15 % Franklin 19% National average 12.5 % From numbers to faces, 10 On Your Side shows you, up close, how food insecurity affects families. In some schools, the meals served for breakfast and lunch are the children's only meals for the day. At Third Baptist Church, at a drive through distribution event, those who have cars are allowed to pick up enough food for their neighbors who don't have transportation. 10 On Your Side also learned of a grandmother who is caring for three teen boys whose parents are unable to care for their offspring. This mother relies on the Foodbank to feed her grandchildren. 'Over the last two and a half years, we've increased our produce distribution by about 50% and our protein distribution by about 50%,' Tann said. 'So that means that, over the last two years, we've increased produce and protein distribution each by 50% because those are the things that our neighbors need to stay healthy, just be engaged in our community, to be educated in our community.' Because of the high poverty rate in the region, the Foodbank secured Congressional funding of more than $1 million to build a new location in Virginia. Beach. Tann says DOGE may also cut that funding from the federal budget. The Foodbank is calling on the community to help the organization help the people of Hampton Roads. 'So this is a facility in Virginia Beach that we were going to be using, utilizing Congressional funding to do the design and the building of the project in addition to raising a significant amount of money from our community,' Tann said. 'And so it's definitely a quick change for us that we won't have that money coming in and it will be a tough to make it up for sure.' Tann said the community has ways it can help the Foodbank. He said it's hard to plan ahead when they don't know what's coming next. He said they've talked about the cuts that are coming through the local food purchase agreement, noting it's for local farmers and the foodbanks to work together. 'That's one cut,' he said. 'But we're also worried about other cuts that might happen. The beauty of this is that through those cuts and through hard times, the public steps up. So we're going to need the public's help again. We're going to have to make these meals up somewhere else. And hopefully that will be with the generosity of those who give to us.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Snow doesn't stop Southampton Co. boy from feeding Capron seniors
CAPRON, Va. (WAVY) — A snowstorm like what we just had is something a lot of kids dream of — the chance to get a couple of days off from school and play outside with family and friends creates lifelong memories. However, for one 11-year-old from Capron in Southampton County, he not only helped feed his memories, he also helped feed hungry seniors. 'We now serve eight counties and we work 22 days a month,' said Charles Bazdaneus, who runs Family4Eternity out of Pine Level Baptist Church in Capron. It's a partner agency with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore. And when the storm hit, 'the Foodbank closed,' Bazdaneus said. 'We're one of 220 partner agencies.' Capron relies heavily on this organization, and 11-year-old Landon Adkins didn't forget that. 'When he woke up, he said, 'How are we going to feed the people today,' Bazdaneus said. With a cart full of food, Landon and Bazdaneus braved the chilly temperatures to make sure the residents of Capron didn't go hungry. 'It made me feel good by giving them food,' Landon said. 'I feel like they needed it.' Said Landon's mother, Katlyn Javins: 'As a mom, I am very proud of him, and everybody really feels amazing and it warms my heart.' She wasn't the only one. Word of Landon's good deed spread on the local Facebook page, and the positive comments came in. 'Just nothing but outstanding love and support,' Javins said. 'What a great young man, what an amazing young man.' And those receiving the food? 'They felt blessed, I think,' Landon said. 'They said, 'Thank you, I really appreciate it.'' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
