Earlier this month, The Farmlink Project partnered with Happy Dirt and Central Virginia Food Bank to deliver over 6,000 pounds of produce to Feed More, a food bank in Richmond, VA. Feed More, a nonprofit hunger relief organization, collects and distributes food through a variety of partner agencies, such as churches, homeless shelters, and soup kitchens.

As reported by Feeding America, over 863,390 people, including 247,740 children, struggled with hunger in Virginia in 2019. This number has only skyrocketed since the pandemic. Feed More serves 29 counties and five city areas in Central Virginia. In this area alone, they have reported an increase of 25-30 percent in demand for food.

Christy Dalton, a Feed More Events manager, spoke to a Farmlink Project representative about how they are dealing with fighting food insecurity during this pandemic. They are mainly concerned with getting food to people in “the right place at the right time.”

Even as parts of the country begin to reopen, Christy does not believe that the end of quarantine means the end of long lines at food pantries. Feed More works to not only supply immediate relief, but also to sustain the increased demand for food in the long run.

“Hunger is something that was here before this happened. It’s something that’s going to be here afterwards. The increased amount is what we’re trying to make sure we can sustain and help with for the long term,” Christy said.

The Farmlink Project is excited to partner with amazing organizations such as Feed More and generous farms like Happy Dirt to work together to help those in need during these tough times. During this delivery, The Farmlink Project not only saved 6,000 pounds of food from going to waste, but also hired local truck drivers to aid with delivery. While working to get food to those who need it, The Farmlink Project also aids industry workers.