Blue Ridge Area Food Bank CEO sees alarming trend with demand on the rise
For years, Blue Ridge Area Food Bank CEO Michael McKee could always explain rising demand for his organization's services: high unemployment, the Great Recession, a pandemic.
But with unemployment hovering at historic lows, the COVID-19 pandemic over and the Great Recession years in the past, he is still serving 148,000 people every month in the 25 counties and eight cities where the food bank offers services, including the cities of Charlottesville, Waynesboro and Staunton and the counties of Augusta, Albemarle, Buckingham, Culpeper, Fluvanna, Madison, Nelson and Greene. That translates to a 40% increase in guest visits over pre-pandemic figures.
And because federal funding has been limited, McKee says the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank has had to spend millions of its own dollars to close the gap.
He says there's plenty the public can do to help, including making donations and volunteering time, but that won't be enough to diminish or even sate demand. He believes the housing crisis and inflation are the primary drivers of the current demand, and those problems require solutions from higher powers.
"There is no single event," he told The News Virginian. "It's the confluence of inflation and housing prices driven by a shortage of housing."
His most rapidly growing client demographic is senior citizens.
"I didn't imagine seniors would be our fastest growing group," said McKee.
Despite their numbers, however, he said the stigma around hunger and poverty means they are still embarrassed to visit a food bank or food pantry.
The long-term outlook is not positive without an increase in federal support, McKee said, via the congressional Farm Bill and programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, once known as food stamps. McKee's assessment is blunt.
"With our business model, we cannot become a nonprofit grocery chain," he said. He said the notion that food banks can do "more and more is completely unrealistic."
U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, a 6th District Republican who represents much of the Shenandoah Valley, serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies. He said negotiations are ongoing regarding funding for food programs nationwide. When it comes to SNAP, in particular, Cline said he wants to see reforms in the way the program provides benefits while also encouraging more healthy eating.
The Farm Bill is now operating under a temporary extension. Cline told The News Virginian he believes a November victory for the Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, would benefit food banks in the final passage of the Farm Bill.
"The outcome of the elections will have an impact,'' Cline said. "Food banks and farmers would benefit more from a Trump administration than Biden-Harris."
That's in spite of the fact that the previous Trump administration moved to cut billions of dollars from SNAP funding and eliminate 700,000 low-income, jobless workers from the program. The latter was struck down by a federal court in 2020.
U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a 7th District Democrat who serves on the House Agriculture Committee, naturally sees things differently. Spanberger, who has launched a bid for governor in next year's gubernatorial race, supports Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign and said she believes the federal government needs to be assisting local food banks.
"As the only Virginian who serves on either the U.S. House or U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, I continue to advocate for a Farm Bill that delivers for Virginia's crop and livestock producers, supports our commonwealth's agriculture industry, and protects critical food security programs," she told The News Virginia in a prepared statement. "Virginians who rely on SNAP to put food on the table — children, families, active duty servicemembers, veterans, seniors, and individuals with disabilities — deserve for Congress to recognize the value of our vital nutrition programs. As we continue to negotiate and work to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill, I remain confident that we will deliver for the Virginians who need our support and the community organizations that work to keep all of our neighbors fed, like the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank — because not doing so is unacceptable."
September is Hunger Action Month, and though there are only a few days left, McKee said the public is still encouraged to give online at brafb.org . Better yet, he encouraged those who can to volunteer their time — which would be especially helpful considering the food bank's current volunteer base is aging.
And if those who want to help have neither time nor money, McKee said they can still pressure Congress for additional support for the Farm Bill.
"We need the community to advocate to Congress to help with sustainability,'' he said.
There is a link on the food bank's website to send comments directly to Congress.
McKee said the food bank spent $5 million last fiscal year to fill the funding gap after U.S. Agriculture Department budgets were cut.
But there is some encouraging news regarding food donations from the USDA. "Volumes are picking up, and we are not spending as much,'' he said.
In the midst of all this, McKee has garnered national recognition for his work.
This past spring, he won the 2024 John van Hengel Fellowship Award. The award, the highest honor in the food bank industry, is named in honor of the late van Hengel, considered the father of food banking. It is presented by Feeding America, a national network of more than 200 food banks.
Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot said in a statement announcing the news that McKee "exemplifies the values of the John van Hengel Fellowship Award through his foresight, stewardship, and commitment to mission." She further said that McKee "leads with a servant's heart, with passion, and with vision. His work is grounded in his fervent belief that everyone should have enough to eat."
McKee said he is proud of the work the award honors.
"The award is for lifetime achievement and for one who has been in food bank work for a long time,'' said McKee, who has led the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank for 15 years.
But he downplays his role.
"At the end of the day it is a recognition of the strength of the organization and a team of talented and committed people working for their neighbors,'' he said. "I represent the organization. But it is an award that everyone shares."
Bob Stuart (540) 932-3562
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