Government shutdown drives concern over local food bank demand in Virginia

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — As the government shutdown heads into the weekend, local food pantries in Virginia are bracing for a potential spike in demand if the shutdown continues.

Food bank directors said they were already facing higher demand before the shutdown, and now, they're hoping for the best while preparing to ensure no one in the community goes hungry.

Volunteers at the Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center serve more than 4,000 families each month, but as the shutdown stretched on, volunteers said so will the lines.

A team of volunteers delivers groceries to cars in line at the Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center. (Photo: Deniel Dookan, 8News)

“When we come into the holiday season, the demand always goes up, and with this on top of it, we can only imagine that it could be amplified even more,” said Nick Jenkins, the organization's Community Outreach Director.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits are expected to be distributed throughout October. However, earlier this week, the National WIC Association warned that the program only has enough federal funding to remain open for up to two weeks.

After that, individual states must decide if they can supplement the funds.

Virginia Department of Health (VDH) spokesperson provided the following statement to 8News:

"The Virginia Department of Health is actively monitoring the federal funding shutdown and assessing any impacts. We are taking steps to identify any areas that may be impacted. The Virginia WIC Program is continuing normal operations into the foreseeable future. We remain in communication with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to stay informed of any updates. We encourage families to keep their WIC appointments and stay in contact with their local health departments for any WIC-related needs."

Fully stocked food pantry at the Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center. (Photo: Deniel Dookan, 8News)

The Federation of Virginia Food Banks partners with over a thousand agencies to distribute food across the Commonwealth. The organization's director, Eddie Oliver, said he's seen an increase in demand following the end of pandemic assistance programs and worries that an interruption to food benefits could put a strain on food banks.

“Without those programs, any cuts to those, it’s going to fall on us and it’s going to send more people to our pantries when we’re barely meeting the need, as it is right now,” Oliver said.

The shutdown is also impacting federal employees across the state who face missed paychecks. Oliver said they're ready to fill the gap for affected families if needed.

“Given the number of federal contractors and federal employees who live in Virginia who might be looking at missed paychecks in the coming weeks, our food banks are making contingency plans to directly serve some of those folks,” Oliver said.

Both organizations emphasized that their efforts rely heavily on community support.

“You can donate your time by volunteering, donate food, by running a food drive, or maybe just picking up a couple extra groceries and dropping them off, or become a monthly donor and help us financially,” Jenkins said.

The Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center holds a food distribution every 1st and 3rd Friday at its Chester location. Several distributions are also held throughout the month at other locations.

The Federation of Virginia Food Banks also partners with several food banks across Central Virginia. You can find a food bank near you using their locator on their website.