May 28, 2021 at from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Feeding Southwest Virginia will host a mobile Food Pantry Distribution and Mobile Marketplace in Covington, VA. The event will be held at Jackson River Sports Comples, 870 W Edgemont Drive, Covington, VA 24426. The Mobile Food Pantry distributions were instituted by Feeding Southwest Virginia in March 2020 as a COVID-19 response. The Mobile Marketplace is a new program, launched last month that is designed to provide affordable fresh foods SNAP benefit accessibility to underserved demographic groups and rural locations. Based on data analysis, Alleghany was one of the seven counties in our service region that we determined would benefit most from this service.
This is a free event and everyone qualifies. The pop up Mobile Food Pantry will provide an emergency food box that offers shelf stable items that will feed a family of four for three days to all participants. Additional food will also be distributed for those that meet the income qualification. After the distribution, community members with SNAP benefits can shop at our Mobile Marketplace at the same location. Our Mobile Marketplace is convenient for our rural communities and will also help customers/clients stretch their benefits with more affordable pricing.
“We are always creating innovative ways to address food insecurity in rural areas. This event will help provide community members with emergency food through the Mobile Marketplace food pantry distribution that will diversify food streams to allow people with SNAP benefits to purchase fresh food and nonperishable groceries.” says Pamela Irvine, president and CEO of Feeding Southwest Virginia. “We are grateful for the support from the city of Covington, the Covington Parks and Recreation department for helping make this happen and to the wonderful volunteers from Good News Fellowship Church for donating their time on this day to help us distribute food.”
Feeding Southwest Virginia:
Feeding Southwest Virginia was founded in 1981 and proudly celebrates 40 years of fighting hunger and changing lives through community partnerships. The Food Bank is an affiliate member of Feeding America. For the last three and a half decades, the Food Bank’s ultimate mission has remained the same: eliminate hunger in the region and evolving to focus on healthy nutritious foods. The primary function of the Food Bank is to secure and distribute large quantities of food for the hungry. Approximately $33 million worth of food and grocery related products are channeled annually through a network of more than 380 partner feeding programs in our 26-county, 9-city region that provide food or meals to those in need. Visit www.FeedingSWVA.org.
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