Food Banks Are Overdrawn: Help!

Editor's note: With Thanksgiving tomorrow, many of us are focused on elaborate food preparation. Yet in our midst are some who are struggling to provide their families with even the most basic meals.

James Sherlock was stunned to find that the pantry at Eastern Shore Chapel in Virginia Beach was running out of food. It’s part of a sad national trend in this era of 40-year-high inflation.

My church - Star of the Sea - collects groceries every Sunday. Chances are, yours does too. The Union Mission in Norfolk and the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center at the Beach have fed the hungry for decades. The Southeastern Food Bank helps many Hampton Roads families.

There’s no better time than the holidays for those of us with too many blessings to count to share with our neighbors.

Feel free to list your favorite pantry or food bank in the comments. kd

The following was written for Bacon’s Rebellion by James C. Sherlock

Showing the dual effects of inflation — more people need food assistance and the costs of providing that food have risen — a local food bank we have long supported ran out of food this weekend.

First time ever.

The director told us that this is happening everywhere. See empty shelves in Austin Texas above.

If you have not dealt with one, food banks in my experience tend to be exceptionally well run, most by churches, synagogues, mosques or other faith- based organizations.

They screen their clients and keep careful track of donations. Most provide food by appointment or specific days of the week or both.  All that I am aware of have limits on how many times a month each client can access food to make it go as far as possible.

The best ones are hyper-efficient with donations of money. Most staff are volunteers.

I request those readers who can afford it to please try to help. If you have a food bank you already support, help them.

If you do not already give, you can go here and put in your zip code to find local food banks. I tried other sites and web search terms and none of them provided nearly so complete a list.

Donate food, money, your time or perhaps more than one of those.

You will feel good about it and God knows people need the help.