One in ten Virginians lives in households that can’t always afford enough food. However, there is a toll-free hunger hotline funded by the department of agriculture that connects callers in need with self-sufficiency services in their area, like food pantries and soup kitchens. Marianne Vargas is with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore.
Virginia food banks distributed 142 million pounds of food to 1.2 million people last year.
Vargas stresses that widespread hunger is not a seasonal issue, even though the donations, which are highly concentrated around the holidays, might suggest so.
The hotline number is 1-866-3-HUNGRY. Click herefor information about the food banks.