Media Contact:
Les Sinclair
lsinclair@brafb.org
434-962-5403

Hundreds of area children receive nutritious food every week during summer break.

Verona, Va – (May 30, 2024)—The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is participating in the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), sponsoring 13 locations starting in late May, helping ensure that children across the region have access to nutritious food to fuel their learning, play, and growth.

One in seven (1 in 7) children in Virginia is food insecure. The Summer Food Service Program is designed to reach children who may not get nutritious meals at home over the summer break. Students receiving free or reduced-price meals when school is in session are at particular risk.

The Food Bank provides wholesome breakfast items, vegetables, fruit, dishes with protein from meat and other sources, and snacks to organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs, summer school programs, churches, and recreation programs that serve children at risk of being food insecure. This nutritious food is provided to all children without charge, helping children thrive and stay on track for healthy development.

During this summer program, the Food Bank will serve approximately 400 children through SFSP across its 25-county service area.

Below is a list of sites offering Summer Food Service Programs:

**Meals To-Go, rural non-congregate meal sites. Meal kits will be distributed between 5/31/2024 and 8/9/2024 on a first-come, first-served basis, and will include five (5) breakfasts and five (5) suppers per meal kit.

For more details about SFSP, visit the Food Bank’s website at http://www.brafb.org/summerfoodserviceprogram.

Families who need food assistance can access the Food Bank’s “Food Finder” tool to locate local food pantries. Go to www.brafb.org/FoodFinder

-In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDAOASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2. fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3. email:
program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Verona, Virginia, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is the largest organization alleviating hunger in western and central Virginia. The Food Bank receives an average of 127,500 guest visits per month, serving 25 counties and eight cities through distribution centers in Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Winchester, and Verona. We’re serving record numbers of Virginians through our network of more than 400 community partners, which includes food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, schools, libraries, healthcare clinics, community centers, and more.

We pledge to continue innovating and adapting to secure, store, and distribute more food to more individuals, families, children, and seniors experiencing hunger. The Food Bank is a partner food bank of Feeding America®, a national association with a network of more than 200 food banks, 21statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries, and meal programs. Last year, this charitable food assistance network helped provide 5.3 billion meals to tens of millions of people facing food insecurity. For more information, visit www.brafb.org.

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