Latest news with #PamelaIrvine
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hunger to Hope Summer Food Drive
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – WFXR News is partnering with Goodwill Industries of the Valleys and Feeding Southwest Virginia to host the Hunger to Hope: Summer Food Drive, a one-day food and donation event supporting families facing food insecurity across the region. The live food drive will take place on Friday, June 13, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Market on Melrose in Roanoke. WFXR will broadcast live throughout the day, sharing stories of impact and encouraging viewers to give what they can, whether it's a bag of groceries, a monetary donation, or a moment of their time. Feeding Southwest Virginia partners with USPS for 'Stamp Out Hunger' 'It takes a community to feed a community. Unfortunately, hunger is here, right where we live,' said Pamela Irvine, President and CEO of Feeding Southwest Virginia. 'Partnerships are so very important to the Food Bank, and we are so grateful for our successful partnership with Goodwill and WFXR and for their commitment to address the problem of hunger in our community. Only together will we have an impact in reducing hunger.' 'At Goodwill and the Market on Melrose, we believe that real change happens when we come together to meet the needs of our neighbors,' said Angela Stanfill, Senior Vice President of Operations at Goodwill. 'Hunger, hardship, and inequity exist right here at home, and that's why strong partnerships are essential. We are proud to stand alongside Feeding Southwest Virginia and WFXR in the shared mission to nourish, support, and empower our community. Together, we are building a stronger, more hopeful future.' Donations collected at the Market on Melrose and at participating Goodwill donation centers (June 7–13) will be distributed directly to local pantries and partner organizations. More 'Hunger to Hope' stories on This year's event comes amid new data from Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap report, revealing that nearly 20% of children nationwide are experiencing food insecurity, with rates reaching up to 50% in some rural counties. Monetary donations can also be made on-site or online. All proceeds go directly to Feeding Southwest Virginia's food distribution programs. List of drop-off locations: Market on Melrose- 2502 Melrose Ave NW A, Roanoke, VA 24017 Vinton Store – 907 Hardy Road, Vinton, VA Hunting Hills Store – 4335 Pheasant Ridge Road, Roanoke, VA Hollins Store – 6315 Archcrest Drive, Roanoke, VA Cave Spring Store – 3206 Electric Road, Roanoke, VA Salem Store – 1493 E. Main Street, Salem, VA West Salem Store – 1830 West Main Street, Salem, VA Daleville Store – 125 Commons Parkway, Daleville, VA Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Feeding Southwest Virginia, Food Lion distribute 600 boxes of food
LEBANON, Va. (WJHL) — A local food bank partnered with Food Lion Feeds and Russell County Emergency Management to distribute hundreds of boxes of food. On Thursday, Feeding Southwest Virginia worked with Food Lion and the EMA to feed hundreds of families at the Lebanon, Virginia government center. Roughly 600 food boxes and bags of fresh produce were distributed. USDA cancels shipments to Tri-Cities food banks Pamela Irvine, the president and CEO of Feeding Southwest Virginia, told News Channel 11 there is no shortage of food insecure people in the region. 'Food insecurity numbers are as high as what they were down here in 2008,' Irvine said. 'I mean, we have several counties down here in Southwest Virginia [where] food insecurity is 20% and higher. And so we know how challenged [the area is] economically, but also with disasters recently here in Russell County, Lebanon and Southwest Virginia, people are suffering.' Irvine credited the resilience and generosity of Southwest Virginians who help make events like Thursday's food distribution possible. 'Sometimes people just need good news and hope, and by providing something as simple as a bag of groceries and a box of food, it just enables people to go another day to have another meal,' Irvine said. Thirty Food Lion volunteers assisted in the food distribution. Food Lion Feeds manager Kevin Durkee said the grocery chain has been committed to nourishing neighbors since its founding in 1957. 'We believe that no one should have to choose between paying their rent or gas and groceries,' Durkee said. 'So if we can take away some of that uncertainty and the difficult decisions that people have to make, then that's what we're here to do.' Feeding Southwest Virginia was one of many food banks nationwide to be impacted by canceled shipments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to Irvine, a shipment with $513,000 worth of food from the USDA was canceled. 'We need the food,' Irvine said. 'We have been like a lot of organizations, kind of watching to see funding opportunities. Are we going to continue to get funded? So we lost $513,000 worth of food from April to June in funding.' Irvine said help from groups like Food Lion Feeds has been encouraging amid the federal uncertainty. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
USDA cancels shipments to Tri-Cities food banks
SALEM, Va. (WJHL) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has canceled shipments of food headed to local food banks. Pamela Irvine, the President and CEO of Feeding Southwest Virginia, said the food bank was informed that a shipment meant to be delivered between April and July was not coming. 'It was $513,000 worth of food that would have come to Feeding Southwest Virginia,' Irvine said. 'We were told that it was part of the process of looking at, you know, making some cuts in federal programs.' $722K in food shipments to East Tennessee food bank canceled by U.S. Department of Agriculture The cancelations are a result of the USDA's Commodities Credit Corporation being paused for a federal review. Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee also confirmed that a shipment of 10 truckloads of food was canceled. Irvine said the partnership Feeding Southwest Virginia has with the USDA is the most consistent way the food bank gets nutritious food. 'It's 31% of our food supply,' Irvine said. 'So, this food is extremely important, and the partnership is important to us. We're talking about eggs and milk and fresh fruits and vegetables that are extremely important.' Despite the cancelations, Irvine said she does not want to cause panic. 'I want our neighbors not to panic, but we are concerned as we move forward to ensure that we will have a strong Farm Bill.' The Farm Bill provides funding to the programs within the USDA. It is reauthorized by Congress every five years. 'They're in that continuing resolution through September. That is the priority. And then hopefully we'll get to the Farm Bill reauthorization.' Feeding Southwest Virginia and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee accept donations. In a statement sent to News Channel 11, the USDA said: 'The Biden Administration inflated statutory programs with Commodity Credit Corporation dollars without any plans for long-term solutions, and even in 2024, used the pandemic as a reason to make funding announcements. While the pandemic is over, USDA has not and will not lose focus on its core mission of strengthening food security, supporting agricultural markets, and ensuring access to nutritious foods. For example, last month, USDA released over half a billion in previously obligated funds for LFPA, LFPA for Tribes, and LFS to fulfill existing commitments and support ongoing local food purchases. Additionally, USDA recently announced $261 million in available fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts, made possible through Section 32 purchases. These foods go directly to food banks and other charitable organizations. States are eligible to receive products including tomatoes, grapes, pistachios, asparagus, apricots, strawberries, and peaches, among many others. And while the Biden-era TEFAP slush fund was terminated, the program continues to operate uninterrupted, as originally intended by Congress, with more than $166 million spent in recent months to connect families with food. The Department will continue to use its procurement authority to support producers and consumers where appropriate, and with 16 nutrition programs under its purview, ensure families continue to have access to affordable and abundant food.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Remarkable Women: Meet Pamela Irvine, the woman behind Feeding Southwest Virginia
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – Southwest and Central Virginia are filled with remarkable women, and we're introducing you to some during March during Nexstar's Remarkable Women contest. Pamela Irvine is one of the four finalists in the contest. Irvine is best known for being the woman behind Feeding Southwest Virginia. Irvine started Feeding Southwest Virginia over 40 years ago after facing food insecurity herself. 'Initially, we had three people, no trucks, no computers, a little bit of food moving in and out,' said Irvine. Moving from those humble beginnings to now working with over 400 feeding programs across Southwest Virginia, many would say Irvine is the heart and soul of the operation. 'Pam's legacy is just undeniably strong. Not just to create and start a food bank in southwest Virginia, but to create the network that she has of food pantries and feeding programs,' said Pete Deaver, Irvine's co-worker who nominated her for the Remarkable Women contest. More 'Remarkable Women' stories on Not only is Irvine working to feed anyone who finds themself hungry, but she is also going head to head with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make food more accessible. 'A ruling that was on the book that said we had to watch a child consume the meal before we could receive partial reimbursement from the federal government,' said Irvine. To travel every day to a facility to sit down and have a meal at a facility isn't realistic for families facing hunger, especially those in rural regions. 'We fought really hard to have that changed. So now there are USDA-approved rural communities where we no longer have to watch children consume the meals. So the impact, we went from serving a couple thousand meals across Southwest Virginia to last summer serving over 200,000 meals to children,' said Irvine. Although Irvine's ultimate goal remains out of reach, her work perseveres. 'I thought early on that we would be able to end hunger. We knew there was a lot of food wasted, and we knew if we set up a great system we would be able to, and unfortunately, the most recent study from the USDA. The work is still needed; we have more people to reach, and there is a lot of work to be done,' said Irvine. Decades of passion and results prove that if anyone can do the work, it's Pamela Irvine. 'She has just committed so much of her life to making sure that people can eat, which is such a simple thing on paper, but in execution it's so complicated, and she makes it look kind of easy,' said Deaver. Irvine is just one of four women that we're highlighting during March. At the end of the month, you will find out which one will be the local winner of Nexstar's Remarkable Women contest. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
