Feeding America wants more people involved in bringing quality fresh food to those who need it most.
September is Hunger Action Month and the Feeding America-Southwest Virginia food bank in Salem will not let that fact go unnoticed. At an event last month, President and CEO Pamela Irvine invited several local Congressman, delegates, City Council members and others to Hunger Action Day, where Bob Goodlatte, Morgan Griffith, Bill Bestpitch, Sam Rasoul et al rolled up their sleeves to volunteer for a spell.
“We depend on partnerships,” said Irvine, who singled out work Goodlatte did when he chaired the House Agriculture Committee to secure funds for renovations at the Feeding American warehouse on Electric Road – and for his support in general of the food bank concept, where excess foods are donated and then farmed out to food pantries. In 2013 the Feeding American nationwide network served 46 million people.
Griffith, the Salem-based Congressman who helped secure funding for the food bank when he was the majority leader in the House of Delegates, called Hunger Action Day, “A good annual event where we can come in and do just a bit to help.” He called Irvine, “The greatness in the room,” not the gaggle of politicians that had been assembled.
Each year more than one million people in Virginia get some of their meals from a food bank, according to a proclamation from Governor Terry McAuliffe, read by Griffith – with 37 million pounds of food distributed by those food banks to pantries, shelters and the like in 2013. “If you have the ability to reach into your pocket to contribute more food or more money, Feeding America would great be appreciative of that,” said Griffith.
Goodlatte, who now chairs the Judiciary Committee, gamely donned an orange tee shirt like everyone else after spending a few minutes at the podium. The group of notable volunteers, which also included Feeding America-Southwest Virginia board members, were put to work for a while sorting food. “Go Orange!” said Goodlatte before he made a few remarks.
“I think this is truly, grassroots people helping people,” said Goodlatte of the food bank concept and Feeding America. “The dollars contributed – and the volunteer time donated – are leveraged to do tremendous things to help meet the needs of millions of families across America.”
Goodlatte called it a “hand up, not a hand out.” He noted the recent Farm Bill in Congress, which called for the more efficient and balanced deliveries of surpluses to food banks like Feeding America. Goodlatte also called for the elimination of red tape and excessive regulations that increase overhead costs for non-profit food banks.
Feeding America-Southwest Virginia is also undertaking a program with Carilion Clinic, looking to promote better health among many of the lower-income people it serves. Starting in the next few months, Carilion medical technicians will travel with the Feeding America “Veggie Mobile” to drop off fresh food and produce to food pantries in the southwestern part of the state it covers.
While there, Carilion technicians will take blood pressure readings and other metrics from people that come to the pantry. The hope is to establish a baseline for those that take part – and retake their readings at a later date to see if their health has improved. Feeding America will also be putting together boxes of food suitable for those with diabetes; Irvine sees that as a teaching tool in part.
“This is something that means a lot to a lot of people and that’s why this organization has had such great success,” said Goodlatte. “We want to fill it up with food and volunteers. Food banks across the country are on the front lines.” Hunger Action Month might be a good starting point for those that want to get involved for the first time.
By Gene Marrano
