RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Local food banks and pantries are bracing for a surge in holiday demands while grappling with an already strained system still reeling from the effects of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
Less than a week before Thanksgiving, food assistance organizations in the Greater Richmond Region have been confronting a sharp rise in food insecurity across communities.
From Saturday, Nov. 1 to Wednesday, Nov. 19, the Commonwealth Catholic Charities (CCC) in Richmond said it served 921 individuals — 124 more than it did in November 2024 — within just the first 20 days of the month…