Impact is honored and humbled to work with the Capital Area Food Bank. For 40 years, the food bank has provided meals to residents across the DC region who are experiencing food insecurity. During the pandemic, the Capital Area Food Bank has become an essential lifeline to even more community members facing crisis.

Last year, almost half a million people in the DC region struggled with food insecurity. Today, that number is rapidly increasing due to the economic effects of COVID-19. While half of the food bank’s partners are temporarily closed, those that remain open have reported anywhere between 30% and 400% increases in the number of people in need of food.

On top of this significantly increased need, the food bank is receiving limited donations. Last year, the food bank received about $2 million worth of food from grocery stores each month. But now, as shelves are bare, grocery stores are only donating one-fourth as much food.

In order to replace these missing donations, the food bank must buy necessary food. At first, they ordered an extra 34,000 pounds of products. But when they saw how fast the food was running out, they ordered more than 3 million pounds.

Here are additional ways that the Capital Area Food Bank is supporting residents in need:

• Providing emergency meals for children under 19 years, free of charge
• Creating pop-up pantries for people who ordinarily turn to a food pantry that is now closed
• Delivering supplemental bagged shelf stable groceries to seniors

On top of their incredible work in feeding residents of the DMV, the Capital Area Food Bank also recognizes that food alone will not solve hunger. They continue to address the root causes of hunger through educational programs and innovative partnerships.

If you are able, please consider donating food to others who are in need. To learn more, visit Capital Area Food Bank’s website.