Programs Supporting Hunger Relief
Food Pantry
The Beans and Rice Food pantries, located at low-income housing projects, provide a monthly food packages and USDA commodities sign up for the residents of Willow Woods in Radford and Meadowview in Pulaski
Food Distribution
Fresh perishable food is distributed 11am Monday at the Radford Fire station parking lot by a partnership of Beans and Rice, Radford Department of Social Services and Radford/Fairlawn Daily Bread and other local providers of food for the hungry. See Details
Holiday season days may vary. See Holiday Schedule
The program grew out of the "Food Group," an informal coalition of various agencies and churches seeking to cooperate to meet growing nutritional needs of our neighbors.
It is not unusual to have 60 or more families participating. There are no eligibility requirements and no quesions asked. Volunteers and staff from Beans and Rice and Radford Department of Social Services quickly unload, sort and display boxes of groceries donated by local supermarkets, Feeding America, and various gardeners. Families actually have a shopping experience. Although restrictions on quantities must be observed, recipients are generally very appreciative and understanding. There is a refreshing sense of community among the participants.
Weekend Food for Kids Backpack
Up to 60 kids at Belle Heth and McCarg schools are now receiving backpacks with food to tide them over the weekend. The food must be in child size portions, easy to open with little or no preparation, and need no refrigeration. Planning, comparing costs and shopping for these supplies was a huge project and the office on Main Street looks like a food warehouse!
The backpacks project has truly been a cooperative effort. Backpacks were collected by volunteers from Radford University's Highlander Helper and RU's Soccer Club. The Radford Rotary provided major funding and also volunteers. Volunteers from the RU Social Work Club also help.
Each backpack contains 8-9 items, including: fruit cups, applesauce cups, two past/meat/vegetable bowls, a snack pack of raisins, granola bars, fat free pudding cups, 100% juice boxes and Gatorade. Beans and Rice After School Staff get the backpacks to the schools. RSVP volunteers are helping distribute the backpacks on Thursday afternoons at the end of the program as well as some RU student volunteers.
USDA Sign up
The Food & Nutrition Services of the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a mission to strengthen the nutrition safety net through commodity distribution and other nutrition assistance to low-income families, emergency feeding programs, Indian Reservations, and the elderly.
The sign-up service at Willow Woods housing is another outcome of the Food Group. Any low-income family can sign up to be eligible for a monthly supply of groceries that are delivered to Radford-Fairlawn Daily Bread.
