Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia

I was just looking around online to see where I could go to donate some food to the needy when I ran across the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia’s website, www.foodbankonline.org. The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia is a local, non-profit organization that was established in 1981 with the aim of helping to acquire and distribute food, clothing and other essential products to those in need, as well as provide leadership and education on issues relating to hunger. Its ultimate goal is to help eradicate hunger and economic disparity in our communities.

If you would like to help the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia help our less affluent neighbors during this holiday season, you can drop off food, clothing or related items at all Farm Fresh Food and Pharmacy locations, Old Point national bank locations and all Walgreens locations. Grand Furniture will also be accepting donations at multiple locations.

Please click for a complete listing of all of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia’s drop-off locations in the Hampton Roads area. If you would like more information regarding how you can help the Foodbank by volunteering your time, please visit the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia’s website. You can also help by hosting your own food drive, for more info please click here.

Because our national economy is in a slump currently, there are more folks without work and as a result, there are more people who are in need of the basic necessities. Tough times have also made it so that there are considerably fewer folks donating to food banks all across the nation. According to a recent article in HamptonRoads.com, donations to the Salvation Army in Hampton Roads are down 20% and demand has increased by 10%. If you are in a position to help those who find themselves in need of the most basic necessities, now is as good a time as any.

I’d like to wish everyone a happy holiday season and a healthy and prosperous new year.

Donate your old coat

I was cleaning out my closet the other day and I found a few old coats that I no longer wear and I was wondering where I could go to donate them to someone in need. So I got online and searched for places in the Hampton Roads area where I could drop-off these coats. Among the top searches, I found One Warm Coat. One Warm Coat is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing a warm coat to anyone who needs one. They have drop-off locations all over Virginia, including the Hampton Roads area: Most drop-off locations are at Burlington Coat Factories.

Temperatures are starting to drop and I can’t imagine what it would be like to have to endure a harsh Virginia winter without so much as a warm coat. And, with the current economic difficulties we are experiencing across the nation, some folks are forced to choose between spending their limited funds on buying a coat as opposed to paying rent or buying food. I can’t imagine having to prioritizing between, what I consider to be, and necessities. Thanks to folks who donate to organizations like One Warm Coat, it’s a choice that many folks won’t have to make.

Do you have an old coat in good condition that you no longer wear? Well, that coat could be very much appreciated by someone who does not have one. If you would like to help someone else by donating an old coat or maybe even organizing your own coat drive, please visit onewarmcoat.org for more information and to find the drop-off location nearest you.