From farm to food bank (feeding 5K in Va.'s Shenandoah Valley)

[underpants]

Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch

A Shenandoah Valley farm relying on volunteers grows produce for the region's poor

The Volunteer Farm is expanding its planting area from 28 acres to 40 acres and growing more food. It's just in time: The numbers of hungry people seeking food are growing, too. They are losing jobs in a weakening economy just as food prices and the cost of gasoline are skyrocketing.


The food bank, one of six in Virginia and one of 220 in the country, serves people in 25 counties and nine cities in western Virginia.

Most of those coming to the pantry are elderly on fixed incomes. Fauber knows some who are living on $700 monthly Social Security checks. Some are young with minimum-wage jobs and children to feed.

Her mother, Peggy Moore of Staunton, is on disability and said "Social Security isn't enough. I get $10 a month in food stamps. If I come here, it's just enough to get me through the month."

Fauber added that many of his patrons "carpool to get here. They go out of here with food on their lap because there's no room in the car."



Read more: http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-05-28-0143.html

[Virginia Dare]

1. Thanks, good story...

there's always been horrible poverty in the Shen Valley. My roommate did her social work practicum there, and she saw some very sad, tragic cases.