Feed More food assistance programs.
Feed More operates across central Virginia and focuses on providing food to both low income families or those living in a crisis. Many of the programs available across the region are part of public aid from the United States Department of Agriculture, and one example is food stamps. They also partner with charities on operating pantries and feeding children, seniors, and other using services such as the Kids Cafe.
To get information, or to apply, the Feedmore's Hunger Hotline Food Referral services is the tool to use that connects people with sources that are convenient to them and most appropriate for meeting their needs. Using the hotline below, a volunteer or staff member from the non-profit will contact the individual to help them find food or a hot meal.
Government aid from Feed More
One is the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), which is paid for by the USDA. This benefit provides free monthly food boxes to help low-income residents aged 60, children, and others. The items are used to help supplement their diets and maintain good health.
The food boxes contain nutritious items such as groceries that have non-perishable protein sources. Other contents may be juice, powdered or ultra-high temperature (UHT) processed milk, cereal, dairy, canned or dried fruits and vegetables, baby formula, and cheeses. Aid is offered in Henrico County and other cities in the community.
Feedmore also wants clients to gain self-sufficiency. To this end they give clients in Virginia educational materials on the subject of nutrition, shopping on a budget and recipes. In order to ensure that no senior citizen in the central part of the state goes hungry, Feedmore operates and staffs several distribution sites throughout the Tri-Cities area. They also partner with agencies (such as churches) that act as host sites to assist in certification, outreach and monthly distribution of CSFP food boxes.
The Kids Cafe Program is for feeding children. This is one of the largest meal service programs in central Virginia, and Feeding America takes a pro-active approach. The resource operates in partnership with after-school and summer snack programs that are held in local towns and cities.
The sites provide safe places for children as well as students out of school to meet role models and to participate in activities designed to enhance their physical, educational and social development. At the same time, they get a free healthy snack to eat. Kids Cafe sites include schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, churches, local gyms, and other qualifying agencies or organizations.
The Central Virginia Food Bank’s Kids Cafe has been serving children 18 years of age and younger. The clients come from all backgrounds, and some are enrolled in public or private schools. No matter, they will all participate in approved after-school programs. Meals or the snacks are prepared in the Feedmore Community Kitchen and delivered to charity sites located in some of the most impoverished communities in the Richmond, Henrico County and Tri-Cities metro area.
To participate as a feeding site using this resource, each charity location is required to be within a school zone. The students there need to meet 50 percent eligibility for free and reduced USDA meals. The Kids Cafe Program is funded through private sources in Virginia, several large corporate gifts, foundation funding, government grants, and individual contributions.
Throughout the Feedmore service area in Richmond and the Tri-Cities, teachers from local schools are often able to identify numerous children who eagerly come to school on Mondays hungry. The BackPack Program was meant to address this form of hunger. The service will ensure they are provided with free food during the school day after going through Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday without a square meal.
The BackPack Program was established to prevent weekend hunger, and has become a major Feed More initiatives for ensuring that children in need from lower income homes are provided with the balanced, nutritious food they need to learn and grow to their full potential. The concept works by each and every Friday afternoon, the schools in central VA discreetly distribute free bags of child-friendly, nonperishable, nutritious, easy-to-prepare and easy-to-eat food to them. The amount given is in quantities that can provide many healthy meals to children at risk of being hungry over the weekend.
All children deserve to enjoy the summer months, both by having a source of food and recreation activities. Children in central Virginia should be able to play, have fun, explore, and more without having to worry about whether they'll have food to eat. To help the child and the parent, Feedmore's Summer Feeding Service is a major effort to ensure that thousands of at-risk children aged 18 and younger are provided with healthy yet consistent breakfasts and lunches during June through August.
The purpose of the USDA's Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) as well as SNAP food stamps is to supplement the diets of low-income individuals and families living in poverty. Feedmore will coordinate the provision of free emergency food. TEFAP as well as SNAP make it possible for partnering agencies to add cereal; canned fruits and vegetables; starches such as rice or potatoes; juice; frozen meat; dairy; and fresh produce to their food pantry or soup kitchen inventories. They can also shop using an EBT card.
Feedmore charitable food services
The Feedmore Mobile Pantry provides hunger relief to residents of areas across Richmond and nearby counties. They focus on regions where access to sources of nutritious and affordable food is severely limited. The non-profit has a refrigerated vehicle that was specifically designed to safely transport groceries and to serve as an on-site distribution center. So the location is in effect a pantry once it reaches its destination.
Meals on Wheels helps seniors and the disabled. Feedmore provides free home-delivered meals on a daily basis as part of the mission of helping chronically ill, elderly, and handicapped people independent in their own homes. They will be able to maintain healthy and safe lifestyles.
Using a team of friendly, caring volunteers from the area, the center provide not only freshly prepared, nutritious meals – customizable to suit a variety of health needs – they also perform a critical safety and security check. The team from the non-profit will offer companionship for thousands of households served.
Other assistance for the homebound includes nutritional supplements, holiday meals, flu shots and even food and free dog treats for pets who offer joy and companionship to their owners. Available as either a short or long-term service, Meals on Wheels in central Virginia prepares and delivers hundreds of thousands of meals per year. The agencies then distribute the food to their clients in the form boxes or prepared meals.
How to get help from Feed More
For more information on how Feed More can help, the address is 1415 Rhoadmiller St., Richmond, VA 23220. The referral line is 804-521-2500.
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