CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Blue Ridge Area Food Bank leaders call Governor Glenn Youngkin’s plan to fund a food relief program in the Commonwealth if the federal government shutdown continues, “welcome news, and for any of the guests who receive SNAP, this will allay some of the fear.”
BRAFB spokesperson Les Sinclair said it has yet to determined how much of the $1 million that the Governor said will go to Commonwealth food banks will come to this region.
“That million dollars will come via the Federation of Virginia Food Banks supplementing some of the seven food banks in Virginia,” Sinclair said. “Each of them will get a portion of that, and that’s yet to be decided officially,” Sinclair stated.
He said this money will help supplement some of the food they’re already ordering and will have on their shelves in case of a surge.
“Food banks are built for this, and we’re in good financial position because of donors and community support,” Sinclair said. “So, thank you so much to the people who’ve given, and those sorts of things really go a long way in helping us prepare for emergencies just like this.”
On Tuesday, Gov. Youngkin announced the formation of the Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance program which will use state surplus funds of approximately $37.5-milion a week to fulfill SNAP recipient benefits at least through the month of November.
The Governor, who declared a state of emergency over possible food scarcity, said because the Commonwealth cannot distribute VENA funds until Nov. 3, he’s seeding the money to the food banks to make sure their shelves are stocked with what they need.
The federal government shut down on Oct. 1 when Congress could not pass a budget agreement. While Republicans control the White House, Senate and the House of Representatives, Democrats withheld support for the budget in an attempt to negotiate protections for healthcare for American citizens.
With federal employees missing their first round of paychecks on Oct. 15, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank was already prepared for a surge.
