Join Local Students in the Annual School Food Drive Supporting Blue Ridge Area Food Bank – Rocktown Now

VERONA VA: The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is launching its annual School Food Drive on March 3. This year, it’s expanding beyond just the Charlottesville area to include the Shenandoah Valley for the first time. The drive will run until March 21, gathering food donations to aid local families in need.

Food donations usually dip during this time of year, making this drive especially important. The Food Bank, along with 217 community partners like soup kitchens and food pantries, helps over 68,000 people facing hunger each month.

This year’s drive is led by students Lily Stendig from Albemarle High School and Sofia Smith from Tandem Friends School. They hope to exceed the success of last year’s drive, which provided over 5,000 meals.

“The School Food Drive shows what our community can achieve together,” Stendig remarked. “Young people will really make a difference through our collective efforts.”

Smith added, “We’re excited to be part of the solution to food insecurity in our area. This drive proves how students can unite to bring about positive change.”

Participating schools this year include:

• Agnor Elementary School
• Albemarle High School
• Albemarle Montessori
• Bessie Weller Elementary
• Brownsville Elementary School
• Buffalo Gap High School
• Buffalo Gap Middle School
• Charlottesville Waldorf School
• Johnson Elementary School
• Journey Middle School
• Lacey Spring Elementary School
• Monticello High School
• Murray Elementary School
• Red Hill Elementary School
• Renaissance School
• Staunton High School
• Churchville Elementary School
• Covenant School (Lower School)
• Covenant School (Upper School)
• Crozet Elementary School
• Grace Christian School
• Greenbrier Elementary School
• Henley Middle School
• J. Frank Hillyard Middle School
• Staunton Montessori School
• Stone Robinson Elementary School
• Stony Point Elementary School
• Stuarts Draft Middle School
• Tandem School
• Trailblazer Elementary School
• William Perry Elementary School

“With rising costs for food, housing, and childcare, the need in our area has significantly increased. This drive comes at a critical moment,” said Livia Marrs, a volunteer and food drive manager at the Food Bank. “It’s inspiring to see young people stepping up. This expanded drive will help us gather a large amount of food to support our community.”

Since it started in 2011, the School Food Drive has collected over 101,000 pounds of food, translating to nearly 84,000 meals for those facing hunger.

Each participating school will have large orange barrels for collecting non-perishable food items. To learn more about the School Food Drive, visit the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s website.