Moving the Iceberg

About one in three households in our region didn't always have enough food this year, and one of the most powerful things you can do about it takes less than 10 minutes. Janet Michael is back on the Zooms with Les Sinclair, Communications & PR Manager for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, for a peek behind the curtain at the work that happens long before anyone hands out a box of food. Les shares early numbers from the new Virginia Hunger Study and explains why demand at the food bank is up 40% in four years.

Les and Janet clear up a common myth about why Winchester has "so many" food pantries, and Les explains the difference between a food bank and a food pantry. Then they get into the "wonky" stuff in plain language: why SNAP matters so much, what's in the Farm Bill besides support for farmers, and why the food bank stays nonpartisan while still speaking up. Most of all, Les makes the case that your voice counts, and shows how easy the food bank makes it to call or email your elected officials. As he puts it, changing policy is like moving an iceberg: you have to push, and push regularly. Listen in to learn how to add your push, plus how to find a food pantry near you and how to get ready for Scouting for Food.

LINKS & RESOURCES

Blue Ridge Area Food Bank: brafb.org Advocacy tools (email or call your elected officials, with ready-made scripts): brafb.org/act-now Food Finder: a map of the food pantries closest to you, with hours and contact info. Use it to find help or to find a place to volunteer. Scouting for Food: the first two Saturdays in November. Scouts drop off reminders the first weekend. On the second Saturday, put your food donations out before 8:00 AM and scouts will pick them up. THE VALLEY TODAY with Janet Michael — A decade of conversations.

New podcast episodes drop weekdays at 11 AM. Catch the show on The River 95.3 and Fox Sports 1450 AM weekdays just after noon.

Subscribe and listen at thevalleytodaypodcast.com — available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please take a moment to leave a rating or review — it helps more listeners find us.

Connect with us: Facebook — facebook.com/ValleyTodayFanPage Instagram — instagram.com/thevalleytoday