757 Mobile Markets Bringing Healthy Food to a Neighborhood Near You
For the last several years, the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore has challenged the traditional
model of food banking as the COVID-19 pandemic uncovered new opportunities to reimagine food distribution processes. Through innovative programs, like Mobile
Pantries, Food Hubs, and Healthy School Markets, we are prioritizing access to healthy food options like fresh produce and lean protein while emphasizing
client choice.
More recently, in June, the Foodbank launched the 757 Mobile Markets — a fleet of four mobile market vehicles that
deliver healthy, nutritious food to the neighborhoods with the greatest need, including areas identified as food deserts,
with a “farmers market” style shopping experience. Two of these mobile market vehicles will be managed and operated
by Foodbank Partner Agencies, The Mount in Virginia Beach and Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Norfolk, with the remaining vehicles managed by the Foodbank. The 757 Mobile Markets are funded in part by the
City of Virginia Beach, Obici Healthcare Foundation, and the CARES Act.
“The 757 Mobile Markets are revolutionizing the way we distribute food to families experiencing hunger and food insecurity, and we are excited to partner with the Foodbank on this initiative as we work to ensure residents in our community have access to fresh fruits and vegetables without transportation barriers,” said Ms. Ercelle Dayton, food ministry coordinator at Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception.
Although the 757 Mobile Markets are not the first of their kind, they are unique to our region and move us one step closer to our mission to eliminate hunger. With the support of our community and generous donors, we hope to scale this program and continue investing in infrastructure that will allow us to meet the immediate needs of today and the evolving needs in the years to come.
Find your nearest 757 Mobile Market at FoodbankOnline.org.
2021- 2022 Board of Directors
Officers
Chair
Tonya Walley, Cox Communications
Vice Chair
Jeremy Moss, Bonaventure Property Management
Secretary
Dr. James Shaeffer, Eastern Shore Community College
Treasurer
Martha Ambler, Community Volunteer
Board Members
Don Carey, III, Community Volunteer
Darius Davenport, Crenshaw, Ware & Martin, PLC
Larry W. Ebinger, Community Volunteer
Andre Elliott, YMCA of South Hampton Roads
William Goings, Food Lion, Inc.
Carol Jarvis*, Community Volunteer
Amy Larch, Bank of America
Dorcas Hodges Nelson*, Community Volunteer
Kay O’Reilly, Eastern Shore Chapel
Leila Rice, Hampton Roads Sanitation District
Sara Rothenberg, EVMS
Melissa Smith, A & N Electric Cooperative
Honorary Members
David Brown, CMAS, LLC
Bruce Holbrook, Dixon Hughes Goodman, LLP
Peter M. Huber, Willcox & Savage
Andy Kline, Payday Payroll
Susan Mayo, Community Volunteer
William Nusbaum, Williams Mullen
Marianne P. Scott, Community Volunteer
Marc Weiss, Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC
Ruth Jones Nichols, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer (ex-officio)
*Active Honorary Members
Dear Foodbank Friend,
The dictionary defines the term “transition” as the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.
As we reflect on how we’ve pivoted over the last year to serve t he needs of our community during the COVID-19 pandemic while remaining focused on all of the goals in our Refreshed Strategic Plan, we recognize that we are indeed a Foodbank that is transitioning.
Our leadership is transitioning. We recently welcomed a new Board Chair and Officers who have taken the helm to govern the Foodbank. We are figuratively transitioning, further turning the corner from the pandemic crisis mode we’ve operated in for over a year, toward what is becoming “a different normal.” We are transitioning how we operate, taking pandemic
lessons learned, like new processes developed enabling us to serve nearly 2,000 of our neighbors who experienced food insecurity in a single distribution event and incorporating them into our daily operational model. Before the pandemic, we would never have dreamed that to be possible. And, of course, we continue to transition to address the root causes of hunger. At the heart of it all is a drive to collaborate, innovate, and serve, not only to meet our neighbors’ needs for today, but to enable them to sustain their families tomorrow.
On the cover, you read about the launch of our fleet of 757 Mobile Markets, a key new tool in our fight to bring healthy , nutritious foods to communities where those items are needed most. They are revolutionizing the way we deliver food to our community.
We’ve also cut the ribbon on “The Community Feed” — the newest location at the site of the old Jordan-Newby Library in Norfolk. This community food hub will serve Norfolk State University and Booker T. Washington High School students, and the low-income community just around the corner from the Foodbank. It joins three other hubs launched earlier this year providing food plus holistic services like housing assistance, financial literacy, SNAP outreach, healthcare services, and more to help our neighbors become and remain self-sufficient. We’re excited about the many new partners who have joined this movement!
We are transitioning, but our steadfast focus on feeding people today and nourishing hope for tomorrow, would not be possible without you. Read on to learn what else we’re doing, and how you can get involved. Together, we can end hunger in our community.
Ruth Jones Nichols, PhD, Tonya Walley,
President and CEO Chair, Board of Directors
Hunger Doesn’t Take a Summer Vacation
Child nutrition has been at the forefront of the Foodbank’s mission to eliminate hunger as evidenced through our large-scale programs that ensure the 44,100 children experiencing food insecurity in our service area have access to healthy, nutritious food during the school year and throughout the summer.
Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, we continued to modify existing programs to meet the unique needs of students based on the varying school district policies — consisting of in-person, virtual, or hybrid learning models.
The Foodbank supported students through a variety of feeding programs, such as the BackPack Program and Nourishing Our Neighbors; and kicked off the USDA Summer Food Service Program early to ensure children who typically receive free and reduced-price lunch during the school year had access to healthy meals throughout the summer.
Each summer, the Foodbank serves approximately 70,000 combined meals and snacks to hungry children in Southeastern Virginia, on the Eastern Shore, and in Western Tidewater. Last summer, during the pandemic, we served over 15,071 combined meals and snacks.
This summer we are projecting more than a 200% increase from Summer 2020 and an increase of approximately 28% from the summer months prior to the pandemic. To join our movement as an advocate, volunteer, or donor and help us improve access to nutrient-dense meals for children experiencing food insecurity, visit FoodbankOnline.org
Foodbank 40th Anniversary: The Celebration Continues
This year, the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore celebrates 40 years of service. As we enter Hunger Action Month, a month dedicated to raising awareness for hunger and food insecurity, we are reflective of what we have accomplished together over the last four decades.
Feeding America CEO Visits Hampton Roads
As part of our commitment to uncovering the root causes of hunger and food insecurity, the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore has been
intentional in efforts to modernize and develope new programs, invest in new infrastructure that will build capacity for the organization and our Partner Agencies, and collaborate with like-minded partners to expand our footprint in the region. Our innovative service delivery model in response to the COVID-19 pandemic garnered the attention of our national feeding partner and the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, Feeding America.
This past spring, we had the opportunity to share our local work with Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. During her visit, Babineaux-Fontenot toured the site where our St. Paul’s Community Mobile Pantry operates and the Norfolk Food Hub— two programs established with the support of community leaders and Partner Agencies like The Basilica of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception to ensure residents, particularly those in food deserts, have access to fresh, healthy food. She also visited both locations of The Community Feed at TCC — located on the Portsmouth Campus and inside MacArthur Center— where she enjoyed a stakeholder meeting with members of the Tidewater Community College leadership staff.
The Foodbank also invited Babineaux-Fontenot to participate in a stakeholder roundtable discussion at the Hubs Vine in Franklin. The discussion, which included elected officials and community leaders, explored the specific needs of Western Tidewater and the Foodbank’s plans to increase programs and services in rural communities.
Babineaux-Fontenot capped off her visit to Hampton Roads with a panel discussion at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) — Ending Hunger Today, Nourishing Hope for Tomorrow: A Community Leader & Stakeholder Conversation. As part of the live-streamed conversation, MOCA Executive Director, Gary Ryan, conducted a gallery walk and tour highlighting the Nourish exhibit, a collection of newly created artworks inspired by local food experts.
As a 40-year member of Feeding America, we appreciated the opportunity to share our work and exchange best practices with our national partner and fearless leader in the fight to eliminate hunger.
Upcoming Events
Hunger Action MonthNovember 19–20, 2021
This is a 57-hour consecutive food and fund drive that takes place the weekend before Thanksgiving each year. The goal of this event is to put food on the tables of those struggling with hunger in our community. The event will take place as a drive-thru, drop-off model at Kroger located in Virginia Beach and Suffolk. Online donations will also be accepted.
