‘Such a need:’ 400 boxes of food to help families in need in Chesterfield

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WWBT) - It was a busy Tuesday morning at the Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center as 400 boxes full of food, toiletries and a case of water were donated to families in need.

“This is essential food items for their pantry at home, kid-friendly food, also for families and also basic essentials: shampoos, soaps, you know things that children need,” said Kim Hill, the chief executive officer for the Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center.

Chester’s families rely on food banks for these items as prices have skyrocketed, a pattern that organizers said started after COVID.

Feed The Children, a national organization, hosted Tuesday’s donation event. The group said 9% of Chester’s families live below the poverty line.

“Before our ‘Feed The Children’ truck pulled into the lot this morning, there were families lined up and they were like we’ve been here, we don’t want to miss the window, because this is such a need for my family,” said Coco Black with the organization.

Many of the attendees of this event were seniors, as many deal with food insecurity. The National Council on Aging said more than 100,000 seniors in Virginia are eligible for food assistance programs like SNAP but don’t use them.

“Older Virginians may have felt like the benefits they were getting it wasn’t worth the hassle to apply, to do the recertification, to do the interviews, etc. But we just want to encourage folks that there’s assistance out there to help you, and every little bit helps, especially with grocery prices being as high as they are today,” said Eddie Oliver, executive director of the Federation of Virginia Food Banks.

Volunteers organized the influx of cars into two lanes and loaded them with 25-pound boxes.

Jasmyne Bell, a volunteer, said she understands the pinch many people are going through.

“Growing up in not so much of a fortunate family too, we always needed help here and there so when given the opportunity to be able is a great thing,” Bell said.