The following post was provided by the Virginia Credit Union League (VACUL) and the Credit Unions Care Foundation of Virginia. 

The U.S. State of Virginia’s member-owned, not-for-profit credit unions have donated $91,000 to seven food banks serving the Commonwealth.

The donation was made possible by credit unions’ support of the Credit Unions Care Foundation of Virginia, a charitable organization formed by credit unions and the Virginia Credit Union League, their trade association, to coordinate charitable giving, financial education initiatives and disaster recovery donations.

The following organizations will each receive $13,000:

• Food For Others (https://www.foodforothers.org/) (Fairfax)

• Virginia Peninsula Foodbank (www.hrfoodbank.org) (Hampton Roads)

• Feed More (www.feedmore.org) (Richmond)

• Feeding Southwest Virginia (www.faswva.org) (Roanoke Valley, New River Valley and southwestern Virginia)

• Fredericksburg Regional Foodbank (www.fredfood.org/)

• Blue Ridge Area Food Bank (www.brafb.org) (Shenandoah Valley, Charlottesville, Lynchburg and other areas)

• Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia (www.foodbankonline.org) (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Chesapeake)

“The current health crisis is amplifying food insecurity and hunger issues across the Commonwealth,” noted David Miles, Senior Vice President of the Virginia Credit Union League and Chief Operating Officer for the Credit Unions Care Foundation of Virginia. “Food banks across the state are working hard to ensure vulnerable families have access to the food they need and we’re proud to support their efforts.”

Six of the organizations to which the Foundation is donating are part of the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, a state association of food banks affiliated with Feeding America®. The Federation is composed of the regional Virginia and Washington D.C. food banks and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation created to provide food, funding, education, advocacy, and awareness services and programs throughout the Commonwealth.

“The COVID-19 crisis has created an unprecedented strain on Virginia’s emergency food system. Job losses have led to thousands more people in pantry lines and disruptions to the food system have decreased the volume of donated food coming into our warehouses,” said Eddie Oliver, Executive Director of the Federation of Virginia Food Banks. “Thanks to the generous gifts of organizations like the Virginia Credit Union League, we have been able to meet the immediate increase in need and begin to prepare for a long recovery. We could not be more grateful for their support.”

The primary mission of the food banks is to feed hungry Virginians. They distribute annually more than 70 million pounds of products to more than 1 million Virginians through almost 1,500 partner agencies that directly serve those in need.

These agencies operate programs such as soup kitchens, after-school programs, senior centers and elderly feeding programs, the Kids Cafe® Program, and many more. Learn more about the Federation online at www.vafoodbanks.org.

Credit unions are community-focused organizations that believe strongly in giving back to the communities they call home. They are also longtime supporters of their local food banks. The Federation of Virginia Food Banks was the Credit Unions Care Foundation’s charity-of-choice from 2010-2015, with the Foundation donating $35,000 to the Federation in 2010 to celebrate the new partnership.

“Beyond financial support, we know many credit union staff and officials are also volunteering at our local food banks,” noted Miles. “We commend them for their efforts, knowing that food banks’ initiatives to meet growing service needs owed to pandemic is also requiring greater numbers of volunteers and staff to make that outreach possible.”