Patch Holiday Food Drive Prince William: Give To Feeding America

Manassas VA

30 November, 2020

3:22 PM

Description

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief organization, predicted this would happen as millions of Americans lost their jobs, their paychecks and even their businesses because of the coronavirus pandemic: Hunger is an urgent problem for about 42,000 people in Prince William County. You can help. Patch and Feeding America teamed last summer to address the growing hunger crisis in America, connecting readers with the organization's 200 member food banks that serve 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, and providing an easy way to donate money to help their neighbors. Now through Dec. 31, we're encouraging readers to make a tax-deductible contribution to Feeding America in the Patch Holiday Food Drive. Every $1 given to the organization buys 10 meals. Local resources include: Streetlight Community Outreach Ministries, 1550 Prince William Parkway, WoodbridgeWeServe CDC, Inc., 17948 Fraley Boulevard, Dumfries,Action in Community Through Service (ACTS), 3900 ACTS Lane, DumfriesChurch of Christ of Dale City, 13130 Hillendale Drive, Woodbridge, 703-590-1790Holiness Tabernacle Church of God in Christ (COGIC), 1440 Old Bridge Road, WoodbridgeChrist Chapel, 13909 Smoketown Road, Woodbridge, 703-670-8481Holy Family Catholic Church, 14160 Ferndale Road, Woodbridge, 703-730-1791Iglesia Evangelia Apostoles y Profitas Vida Eterna, 1312 Horner Road, Woodbridge, 703-260-6228Yeshua Church of God in Christ, 8675 Phoenix Drive, ManassasFreedom Community Church, 9325 Mace Street, Manassas Park, 571-409-4892Emmanuel Baptist Church, 8006 Centreville Road, Manassas, 703-368-9206Bull Run Unitarian Universalist, 9350 Main Street, ManassasSt. Thomas United Methodist Church (STUMC), 8899 Sudley Road, Manassas Feeding America predicted last summer that 50 million people, including 17 million children, could face hunger by year's end because of the pandemic. Feeding America projects the food insecurity rate in Prince William County will rise to 9.0 percent in 2020, up from 5.6 percent in 2018. "Food banks are an important first line of defense against hunger and food insecurity," Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday while volunteering at a food bank. "Virginia food banks have gone to extraordinary lengths to increase capacity and streamline the distribution of food amid a growing need for their services." Feeding America says that 80 percent of its food banks — or 4 in 5 — are serving more people than they were at the same time last year. With the pandemic worsening during the holiday season, many people who never before worried about how they'd pay for a holiday meal are turning to food banks for the first time. From the beginning of the pandemic in March, Feeding America distributed 4.2 million meals — enough to provide every U.S. resident with breakfast, lunch and dinner for just over four days. In the first four months of the pandemic, 4 in 10 people were first-time visitors to food banks, according to Feeding America. How To Support The Patch Holiday Food Drive Patch has teamed with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 50 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.