VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. More Americans, including in Hampton Roads, are experiencing food insecurity for the first time in their lifetimes since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Programs are willing to help, but people need to ask first. However, not everyone feels comfortable. “This time has been unprecedented,” said Leah Williams-Rumbley, the senior director of advocacy for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore.
Williams-Rumbley has noticed an increase in people seeking help since the pandemic, including people that are not accustomed to being in need. “Hunger doesn’t have a face,” she said. “There’s no specific way that food insecurity looks. There’s no specific way that it manifests in the way people present themselves.”
