Local food banks brace for surge in holiday demands amid lingering ‘ripple effects’ from government shutdown

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.

CCC Director Danah Kaigler said she expects demand will continue to rise throughout the holiday season and into the new year.

"Our primary focus is to make sure people have food to eat every day. The winter months are a little colder, so you're expending more energy to keep warm," Kaigler said.

Heightened demands for foods — especially protein, fruits, vegetables and carbohydrates like potatoes and rice — are now the new normal for CCC.

RELATED: Youngkin calls on Virginians to support food banks in new initiative

Kaigler said many transient individuals in the community also need support and resources to get back on their feet as they look for shelter and employment.

"That's going to be what we have to work with from now on," she said. "I think we're just going to continue to see individuals needing additional assistance to make it from paycheck to paycheck, or if they don't have a paycheck, just to make it day-to-day."

Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center (CFBOC) is also navigating the sudden uptick in food and supply demands.

Since the last week of October, the center has seen a 60% surge in its distribution lines, crisis walk-ins and individuals in need of emergency-based food support, said community outreach director Nick Jenkins.

Jenkins said nearly 600 families visited the food bank on Friday, Nov 21 — the Friday before Thanksgiving — one of the busiest nights local pantries had anticipated for the holiday season.

Shutdown's impact lingers even after government reopens

Along with families and first-time visitors, Jenkins said there were furloughed federal workers at the distribution lines.

"We continue to see high distribution numbers that are impacted, not just because of the normal influx that we see during the holiday season, but definitely still see that ripple effects of the government shutdown," he said.

FULL COVERAGE: 2025 Government Shutdown in Central Virginia

In early November, the CFBOC announced a special distribution day for residents impacted by the shutdown. At the time, the food bank said it’s stepping up due to delays in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which makes the period challenging for residents. That support came through the Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance (VENA).

Jenkins said over 330 clients came out to the additional distribution that the CFOBC "normally wouldn't have (held) during the month."

While the federal shutdown ended on Wednesday, Nov. 12, after lasting 43 days — the longest in American history — Jenkins said it's going to take some time for residents, especially those relying on food assistance programs, to regain stability.

"With the government opening back up and things going to move forward... we know it's going to take at least 30 days to 60 days for the average person who is impacted by these things to really get their feet back underneath them," he said. "So we're going to continue to be here for our community."

Food pantries being in the spotlight throughout the shutdown as a solution for the SNAP benefits crisis has strained local food banks like the Belmont Community Resource Services (BCRS), said executive director Helen Trevey.

At that time, the Federation of Virginia Food Banks estimated that 40% of food-insecure families don’t qualify for benefits, and as a result, could turn to food banks to make ends meet.

"We have learned over the last five years that when the issue of food insecurity or our specific food pantry gets media attention, our numbers typically don't go down," Trevey said. "I've been preparing for 900 families every week since early October, which is 300 more families than I was preparing for this time last year."

Since 2022, Trevey said the BCRS has seen an annual demand increase of at least 15%. This year, the pantry is up 18%, with its highest numbers of visitors recorded in the past six weeks.

Both CFBOC and BCRS work with Feed More, a local nonprofit that collects, prepares and distributes food in Central Virginia.

Feed More said it purchased and distributed more than 1 million pounds of supplemental food to meet heightened needs during the shutdown. This is in addition to the 2.5 million pounds of normal distribution during this period.

"We know income loss and the depletion of savings make it difficult to snap back. Combine that with seasonal upticks in utilities like electricity and heating during the winter months, and insurance premium increases starting in January, and we know that more neighbors will need our help and the help of this community," Feed More said in an email to 8News on Nov. 19.

The organization also said it's seeing "a sizable ongoing need" in several Virginia localities, including Powhatan, Richmond, Hopewell, Emporia and Henrico.

Expanded services, resources help organizations navigate the new normal

Scaling emergency food purchases, expanding targeted school and mobile distributions and strengthening food sourcing are how Feed More is responding to an uptick in demand.

The organization said it has allocated emergency funds to acquire additional food and "bolster distribution" while focusing on areas of higher risk, with support from the Commonwealth and local partners in Chesterfield, Henrico and Richmond.

CFBOC, one of over 380 distribution partners with Feed More, recently launched Operation Holiday Hundred to encourage the Chesterfield community to get involved and fill the plates for families in need.

"The goal is to have hundreds of food drives to provide thousands of meals," Jenkins said.

BCRS is also adapting to the new normal, tackling the "short-term problem" with a long-term solution, including extended hours, more efficient and faster distribution and training over 1,000 unique volunteers this year.

Besides support and emergency funding from Gov. Glenn Youngkin's VENA program and the City of Richmond, which Trevey said was much-needed help for the organization, she added, "Now is the time for neighbor to help neighbor and not look to the government for a solution."

Trevey noted that the best way to support local food pantries is to identify their specific needs, since they vary — whether it's volunteers, money or food and supplies. For CCC, Kaigler said it needs ongoing support from community groups, partners and individuals.

"Our pledge to (the community) is to continue to bring in staple items. Don't focus so much on that one holiday meal for that one day, but just continue to come and see us at least once a week," she said.