Edible Blue Ridge Winter 2022

Above: FWSAVA relies on the help of volunteers to prep and pack meals.

tions and farmers to lend a hand; we can all be a part of the solution. is winter, we encourage you to find a way to help fight food insecurity in your community. Perhaps you are a producer with a surplus of product that can be donated. Perhaps you have five dollars to spare a week, which translates to twenty-five nutri tional, fresh meals FSWVA can provide to food-insecure residents. Perhaps your place of worship or employment is looking for a way to further immerse themselves in their community. “It was one of the things I wanted to do once I retired, ‘’ says volunteer Glenn Bennett. “I thought that it would be a good thing. I worked all the time and I didn’t take the time to — I was not a part of the community. I worked, went home, slept, got up, went back to work. I did that six to seven days a week, and now, it’s my turn to give back.” We can all help and it doesn’t have to take much. Please consider this: For many, the holidays are a time of stress and insecurity. Access to regular meals is essential to the overall health and wellness of an individual. When a meal is missed, with it goes the chance for connec tion, stability, groundedness. A meal is so much more than nutrition; it is a part of our culture, our foundation. Food is integral to our identity. No one should go hungry.

orders we’ve placed canceled — the supply chain is still very challenged. We’re down 41% in those commodities, so we’ve seen a drastic decrease, not just in food alone but for families who received assistance dur ing COVID; now, they don’t have those resources available, so they are once again struggling. We’re seeing an uptick, probably 10-15% in some areas.” at 10-15%, when appearing on a chart, may not seem like a lot, but when put in the perspective of 140,000 citizens — our neighbors — it should be a call to action. We shouldn’t have food insecurity in our country. is isn’t a moral ethos, it is a fact. According to data compiled by Feeding America, Each year, 108 billion pounds of food is wasted in the United States . at equates to 130 billion meals and more than $408 billion in food discarded each year . Nearly 40% of all food in America is wasted . is is an appalling number. FSWVA and other food banks across the state are constantly attempting to procure food that would otherwise go to waste. Forging relationships with corporations such as Sheetz, Kroger and Food Lion helps combat waste in our communities, and there are farms and restaurants across the region, such as Cassell Farms and Turkey Knob Orchards, that donate their surplus. But it can’t just be up to large corpora

Ways You Can Help Donate

Food: Canned goods, pack aged items, fresh food still in its packaging. Time: Volunteer! Visit feed ingswva.org to nd volunteer opportunities in your area. You can pack kits, prep food, help with quality assurance, or hand out meals. Money: For every $1 donated, FSWVA can provide the equiva lent of 5 healthy meals. Talk to your family about committing to donating $5/week or $50 a month, or start a fundraiser.

Educate: Share your knowledge with your friends, family, coworkers. Encourage your employ ers to plan a company-wide volunteer day or food drive. Plan an event with your local place of worship. Vote: In order to end hunger, we need policies in place to support food-insecure individuals and halt food waste. Know your political gures at the national, state and local level. Ask them to do more to end hunger in our region.

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