RICHMOND, VA — The Federation of Virginia Food Banks today announced a $1 million commitment from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust, providing $500,000 per year over two years to expand the Federation’s statewide ‘Farms to Food Banks’ initiative, a statewide effort that strengthens local food hubs, supports Virginia farmers, and improves access to nutritious food for families facing hunger across the Commonwealth.
Demand for emergency food assistance is the highest it has ever been in some parts of the state, with the number of food-insecure Virginians surpassing 1 million for the first time in the history of Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap report. At the same time, donations are down and buying food costs more, pushing food banks to find new ways to keep nutritious groceries on the shelves for families.
‘Farms to Food Banks’ meets these challenges by delivering fresh, local food to families while creating new opportunities for Virginia farmers. The investment will support partnerships with local food hubs that aggregate food from small and mid-sized farmers and deliver it efficiently to food banks statewide. The scale of ‘Farms to Food Banks’ ensures that locally grown, healthy food reaches communities in every region of Virginia, while creating reliable markets for farmers and reducing food waste. Through this initiative, the excellence of Virginia’s growers fuels healthier, stronger communities, proving that local food is not just a solution to hunger but also a driver of economic resilience.
Statewide coordination allows regional partnerships to scale equitably across the Commonwealth. The Federation of Virginia Food Banks serves as the statewide leader for ‘Farms to Food Banks.’ “Every regional food bank in Virginia is strengthening relationships with local farmers,” said Eddie Oliver, Executive Director of the Federation of Virginia Food Banks. “What the Federation brings is the ability to connect those efforts into one coordinated system, so surplus crops in one region can nourish families in another, and farmers have dependable markets they can plan around.”
The model has already had a significant impact. In 2025, the Federation and its food bank partners sourced healthy food from more than 60 small farmers and distributed nearly 2 million pounds of food. “The William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust is pleased to partner with the Federation of Virginia Food Banks to expand the ‘Farms to Food Banks’ initiative. The Trust’s strategy in this focus area is to invest in projects that provide fresh, healthy food to communities while also strengthening the economic stability of local farmers,” said Nancy Cable, Executive Director.
The Federation of Virginia Food Banks will continue to build on this work as part of its long-term strategy to improve nutrition security, support Virginia agriculture, and strengthen the resilience of the Commonwealth’s food system.