Take Part in AARP Virginia's Statewide Community Food Drive Campaign this September

This September, you can help fight hunger in your community.

The AARP Virginia Statewide Community Drive coincides with Nationwide Hunger Action Month and collection sites statewide will accept food for community food banks and food pantries. Volunteers across Virginia are organizing food drives in their communities throughout September to aid local food charities.

Individuals and organizations that wish to join the effort can organize a food collection event in their community. You can also help by identifying and staffing food collection sites, as well as by spreading the word to friends and families. This is a great opportunity for clubs, faith organizations, schools and other groups.

AARP has several chapters holding food drive campaigns across the state:

- Amelia County Chapter #5425 collecting in September
- Eureka Chapter #0514 collecting in September
- SW Roanoke Valley Chapter #4652

• Saturday, 9/14- Kroger, 3971 Brambleton Av SW, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

- Glasgow Rockbridge Chapter #2071

• Saturday, 9/21- Kroger, 422 E Nelson St., Lexington
• Saturday, 9/21- Food Lion, 84 E Midland Trail, Lexington
• Saturday, 9/21- Food Lion, 2150 E Midland Trail, Buena Vista

- Giles County AARP Chapter #0445 starts collecting 1^st Friday in August and bag items 1^st Friday in October.
- Hanover AARP Chapter #5335

• Saturday, 9/28- Kroger, 6335 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Mechanicsville, VA 23111

- Locust Grove AARP Chapter #5239

• Saturday, 9/21 - Wal-Mart, 2533 Germanna Hwy, Locust Grove, VA 22508

- Fredericksburg AARP Chapter #3396

• Friday, 9/13- “Food Drive Kick Off” – Giant, 35 Town and County Dr., 4-7 p.m.
• Saturday, 9/14- Giant, 35 Town and Country Dr., 11-4 p.m.
• Saturday, 9/14- Giant, 10346 Courthouse Rd., Spotsylvania, 11-4 p.m.
• Saturday, 9/21- Giant, 317 Worth Ave., Stafford, 11- 4 p.m.

While donations to food banks have decreased, requests for food assistance have increased across Virginia. The Federation of Virginia Food Banks offers a good starting point for individuals desiring to help. If you are able to help in any of the ways listed above you can start by contacting your local representative food bank using the directory below.

Capital Area Food Bank
Contact- Maria Booker: mbooker@capitalareafoodbank.org
6833 Hill Park Road, Lorton, VA 22079
Phone: 703-541-3063
www.capitalareafoodbank.org.

Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank
Contact- Carey Sealy: csealy@fredfood.org
3631 Lee Hill Drive, Fredericksburg, VA 22408
Phone: 540-371-7666 ext.126
www.fredfood.org.

Feed More, Inc.
Contact- Christy Dalton: cdalton@feedmore.org
1415 Rhoadmiller Street, Richmond, VA 23220
Phone: 804-549-5668
www.feedmore.org.

Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia
Contact- Candice Burton: cburton@foodbankonline.org
800 Tidewater Drive, Norfolk, VA 23504
Phone: 757-314-4575
www.foodbankonline.org.

FoSV - Eastern Shore Distribution Center
Contact- Candice Burton: cburton@foodbankonline.org
24530 Coastal Blvd, Tasley, VA 23441
Phone: 757-314-4575.

Feeding America Southwest Virginia (FASWVA)
Contact- Amanda Allen: aallen@faswva.org
1025 Electric Road, Salem, VA 24153
Phone: 540-444-2942
www.faswva.org.

Feeding America Southwest Virginia (FASWVA) - Abingdon Distribution Center
Contact- David Mitchell, Branch Director: dmillsap@faswva.org
21452 Gravel Lake Road, Abingdon, VA 24211
Phone: 276-628-9266.

Blue Ridge Area Food Bank (BRAFB)
Contact- Jennifer Clark Robertson: jclarkrobertson@brafb.org
96 Laurel Hill Road, Verona, VA 24482
Phone: 540-213-8402
www.brafb.org

• The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank has distribution centers in Verona, Winchester, Charlottesville, and Lynchburg, Virginia.