Foodbank pleads for donations ahead of Super Bowl

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The annual Mayflower Marathon is the Super Bowl of sorts for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore. But after Thanksgiving, there is no overtime.

Christopher Tan, president and CEO of the local Foodbank, is monitoring the decline in contributions as the need for food is on the rise.

“The holidays are a great time for Foodbank,” Tan said, “which means a lot of attention to our work and the need in the community, and thankfully, a lot of resources. But the need for hunger doesn’t really have a season. And so we know that those resources dwindle throughout the year.”

Compounding the problem, it’s game-over for pandemic-era subsidies for families in need.

“For most of our food pantries, there are 200 partner agencies [charities that feed the poor] they’re seeing between a 20% and 30% increase in their lines in the last two years,” Tan said. “Pandemic-era opportunities like SNAP, extra SNAP benefits, unemployment benefits, the stimulus money, all of that is gone to the wayside now. We’re seeing families now having to meet that need without that extra benefit.”

That’s why the Foodbank hopes that while you shop for chicken wings, chips, and drinks, you’ll think about the thousands of people who rely on it.

“So you can go to our website, and you can donate directly to us,” Tan said. “You can become a Feed 365 member, which is a monthly subscription. You can donate $10 a month [or less] to us and it will help us feed all year.

“But really one of the things we want to emphasize is there are many campaigns that happen throughout the community at local grocery stores and other places that are rounding up for the Foodbank. Many people don’t realize that money comes directly to us. Last year, that money provided 1.2 million meals to the Foodbank, and it’s as simple as rounding up to the nearest dollar, adding $5 to your grocery bill, and it just supports the local Foodbank.”

Members of the Elks #38 in Norfolk see the need every day. That’s why they delivered a $6,000 donation to the Foodbank a few days before the big game.

Jennifer Simpson, who delivered a giant-sized check replica to the Norfolk-based regional Foodbank, offered a plea and an advisory to potential donors.

“Please give,” Simpson said, “because you never know, one day you might be in that situation where you have to come to the Foodbank.”

A Kansas City football fan you may have heard of donates to food banks in several states.

“Taylor Swift actually gave to the food bank in Kansas City when she went there,” Tan said. “So I’m sure it’ll be a great time and it’s a great cause for sure.”

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