Who We Are

Founded in 1981, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is the largest organization alleviating hunger in Western and Central Virginia.

In all, we serve 25 counties and 9 cities on either side of the Blue Ridge through distribution centers in Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Winchester and Verona.
We provide nutritious food to 114,000 people each month through a far-reaching network of 234 food pantries, soup kitchens, schools, churches and nonprofit groups.

We are members of Feeding America, a national organization supporting more than 200 food banks across the country, and the largest domestic hunger relief agency in the U.S. In 2009, Feeding America named the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank the Member of the Year for our outstanding program standards and efficiency.

What We Do

The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank secures food from local and national sources, makes sure it is safe, and then distributes the food to hundreds of partner agencies throughout the communities we serve.

Thanks to our affiliation with Feeding America, we capture donations from large corporations—national supermarket chains and food manufacturers—as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Locally, we are supported by grocery stores. Much of this food is in good condition, but cannot be sold. If not for the Food Bank, it would be pulled from shelves and thrown away. Increasingly, we are securing more fresh produce, meat, dairy and other perishable goods through farmers, gleaning organizations and other local and national growers. Community food drives provide four percent of our food supply as well.

Finally, monetary donations through community fundraisers, campaigns and grants enable us to buy food that is in short supply and not available through donations.