VIRGINIA PENINSULA FOODBANK

Our child nutrition and workforce development programs both represent signature initiatives that serve our community effectively. Through our food for kids backpack program, the foodbank provides portable bags of nutritious, child-friendly food items to 1,500 children every friday during the school year at more than 30 elementary school and pre-k program sites. Program-eligible sites are either classified as title i schools (receiving funding for serving low-income populations) or have more than 50% of their student population qualifying for free and reduced-price federal school meal programs. Through the backpack program, children are properly nourished during the weekends when school meal programs are unavailable to them and they may be at risk for food insecurity. By receiving proper nourishment when they are away from school, these children can return to the classroom on mondays engaged and ready to learn. During the 2023-24 fiscal year, we distributed more than 50,000 portable food bags containing 205,350 meals through this program.our kids cafe program provides evening meals to more than 400 children every weekday at structured after-school program sites. The summer food service program (sfsp) offers breakfast and lunch meals to more than 800 children during the summer months at community sites, summer camps, and low-income housing units. The school produce market program distributes first-quality fruits and vegetables to families at local public schools every month during the school year.finally, our culinary training program offers low-income adults looking to make a positive change in their lives the opportunity to attend a rigorous, tuition-free, 12-week training curriculum provided every weekday three times annually with the foodbank's commercial kitchen as a classroom. Under the leadership of an executive chef and production chef, these adult students receive the kitchen management, food safety, and food preparation skills necessary to obtain the meaningful and stable full-time employment that will empower them to achieve self-sufficiency in their lives. Each afternoon, these students receive life skills training from foodbank staff and community leaders centered on topics, such as leadership, conflict resolution, financial management and budgeting, customer service, hospitality, interviewing, and communication. As part of their daily training curriculum, our students prepare the meals for the children participating in our kids cafe and summer food service programs.