CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) For more than four decades, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank (BRAFB) has served as the primary hunger-relief organization for 26 counties and eight cities across central and western Virginia. With distribution centers in Verona, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and Winchester, BRAFB operates on the principle that everyone should have enough to eat. According to BRAFB’s website, the Food Bank provides more than 27 million meals, over 31 million pounds of food, including 9 million pounds of produce, and supports approximately 148,000 guest visits each month, serving tens of thousands of children, seniors, and families in need.
A network of pantries and mobile distributions ensures that families experiencing food insecurities receive nutritious food.
At the heart of BRAFB’s work is its Partner Pantry Program. More than 400 local food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and community organizations collaborate with the Food Bank to distribute groceries weekly or biweekly to households experiencing food insecurity. In addition, the Mobile Food Pantry brings boxes of fresh and shelf-stable items directly to underserved rural and urban communities, ensuring that barriers such as transportation or limited store access do not prevent families from getting nutritious food. These mobile distributions take place at schools, churches, community centers, and senior sites across the service area, providing a reliable source of groceries for individuals who might otherwise go without…