FEEDING BODIES AND MINDS

A FOOD & BOOK DRIVE SPONSORED BY THE JLRV

BY LAURA CONTE

The Junior League of Roanoke Valley has so much to be proud of this year. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of many, especially the Governance Board and Management Team, we have been able to remain connected, participate in trainings via Zoom, and to continue to create innovative ways to respond to the evolving needs of our community in the midst of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

This Spring, the JLRV hosted a successful inaugural Food & Book Drive held in the parking lot of Earth Fare on Franklin Road, as a response to two separate but related issues in our community: food insecurity that continues to impact so many in the region and promoting literacy and supporting underserved youth. The final totals for the food drive were 568 pounds of food and additional monetary donations that purchased 1,200 meals.

The food drive was organized in collaboration with Feeding Southwest Virginia to benefit four local food pantries: Bethel Baptist, Truth Tabernacle, Orchard Hills Achievement Center, and United Christian Inner City. The most requested food items included: peanut butter, beans, rice, soup, pasta, and canned fruits and vegetables.

Did you know…the need at food pantries is greatest for children and families in the summer when school lets out because many children from food insecure households rely on the meals they receive at school? According to Carilion Clinic’s 2018 Community Health Assessment, in Roanoke City, approximately 86.9% of students qualified for free or reduced lunch. On a recent report featured on Feeding America’s website, they project that this year, the overall rate of food insecurity in Roanoke will increase from 13.4% to 15.2% of households.

JLRV’s New Member Class chose the West End Center for Youth as the beneficiary of the book donations to support their goal, in partnership with United Way Roanoke Valley, to have all students reading at or above grade level by third grade. In a Special Report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, findings included: “Before 3rd grade, students are learning to read and after students

FEEDING BODIES AND MINDS

are reading to learn. The difference is critical as if a student is not at grade level by or after his/ her 3rd grade year, he/she are at a far greater risk for academic struggle or failure. In addition to long-term academic and employment benefit, reading is a way to cultivate creativity and imagination.” The West End Center also specifically requested books with African American protagonists. For the Book Drive, the Junior League helped to collect over 1,000 books for the West End Center for Youth.

I interviewed a couple of JLRV members who volunteered at the Food and Book Drive to hear about their experience and about what they learned. Shepherd Cronemeyer, a New Member, moved to Roanoke just a few months before the start of the pandemic and said she was struck by the altruism she witnessed from community members.

“I learned how generous our community is… Everyone was really eager to help out.”

Former JLRV President, Lindsay Phipps agreed. “I thought it was really meaningful to see so many [JLRV] members dropping off donations and I felt like you could see the impact it was making on the Community when the various food banks were picking up the food.”

“One of the reasons I joined [the JLRV] was to be social but also to get to know the community and what we need. Having a direct impact on needs like literacy and food insecurity is really unique,” said Cronemeyer.

This year’s Junior League theme was Better Together. If living through the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we are just that. As members of the Junior League and as a community at large, we continue to prove this as we work toward improving our community and lifting one another up.