A new statewide study is revealing just how many families across Hampton Roads are struggling to put food on the table, with local food bank leaders saying the findings reflect a growing need they have been witnessing firsthand.
The inaugural Virginia Hunger Study found that 43% of households across Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore experienced food insecurity during the past year. On the Virginia Peninsula, that number climbed to 50%.
The findings were released Wednesday during a joint briefing in Norfolk, where leaders from the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore and the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank joined representatives from community organizations to discuss the challenges facing local families…