News

Blue Ridge Area Food Bank combats food insecurity for students in summer months

Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Photo: Unsplash/Blue Ridge Area Food Bank


CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW)- Many families rely on school meals to provide nourishment to their children. But what happens when the school year ends?

According to data from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap, one in seven children face food insecurity in Virginia. 

That is why the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is operating the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program in our area. BRAFB will be preparing fruit, vegetables, snacks, and dishes rich in protein for breakfast and lunch free of charge to several programs across the region, like churches, summer school programs, and recreation programs like the Boys and Girls Clubs.   

Across 25 counties, the Food Bank projects it will be serving 550 kids throughout the duration of the program.  Many of the counties in which food insecurity is the most pervasive come from rural counties in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area. 

Some distribution sites may require registration in a particular program being run at the site, such as the Boys and Girls Clubs. 

Others are rural non-congregate meal sites that do not require kids to be involved in a program, providing five breakfasts and five suppers to-go from May 26 through early August, 2026. 

Latest News

3 hours ago in Albemarle County, Local

All three Albemarle swim lakes open every day starting this weekend for the summer season

Updated
Chris Greene Lake

Mint Springs Valley opening after multiple tests show no more toxic algae bloom.

7 hours ago in Charlottesville City, Food Scene, Local

‘The Enemy’ brings European and Argentinean cuisine to the Downtown Mall

Augusto Rodriguez Araoz, the former owner of Cumbre Bakery, opened the new restaurant last month.

7 hours ago in Albemarle County, Charlottesville City, Education, Health & Wellness, Local, Local Nonprofits, Surrounding Counties

No Kid Hungry Virginia highlights new programs helping to combat summer food insecurity

Sarah Steely of No Kid Hungry Virginia says that food insecurity is getting worse in the state, can actively damage the long-term health of children, and shows two unique ways to combat it.

22 hours ago in Sports, Trending

MLB owners have proposed a salary cap for the first time since baseball’s 1994-95 strike

Major League Baseball owners made their long-expected salary cap proposal to the players' association on Thursday, a system the union has vowed never to accept, setting the sides on course for a confrontation that threatens the 2027 season and perhaps beyond.

1 day ago in Albemarle County, Local

Former VDOE administrator named new Greer Elementary principal

Directed state superintendent's office operations in Richmond