Community Partner • All Blessings Flow
Annie Dodd, founder of medical equipment nonprofit All Blessings Flow said, “There was a need, and no one had really thought about filling it!” Annie cared for her mom, who had polio as a teenager and post-polio syndrome in her last years, and required a lot of medical equipment. When her mother passed away, there was nowhere…
Partner • Shelter for Help and Emergency
As the residential manager for Shelter for Help in Emergency, Andrea Domingue makes sure the shelter is operational and services are being provided. This includes ensuring that all clients and their children have sufficient nutritious food. Each year the Shelter provides safety and services for over 400 women and children experiencing domestic violence. While at…
How L&F Partner PB&J Fund Pivoted During the Pandemic
March 2020 started out warm, following another mild Winter in the Piedmont. Speculation about a late snowstorm was beginning to fade while news about a new novel coronavirus was trending on social media. The growing threat of a global pandemic was as palpable as a gust of wind ahead of an approaching storm. Alex London-Gross,…
Meet Monica Davis, RDN, Loaves & Fishes Nutritionist
Nutritionist Monica Davis, who joined Loaves & Fishes’ staff in 2020, has been enthralled with food her entire life. Monica comes from a big Minnesota family and helped her mom, an excellent cook, prepare the family meals. When a dietitian from a local hospital spoke about her career in dietetics at Monica’s high school 4H meeting, Monica…
Meet L&F Volunteer Coordinator, Tracy Arbaugh
Tracy Arbaugh has been an integral part of Loaves & Fishes over the past 10 years. She first started by volunteering with her family on the first Saturday of each month when the pantry ran out of Jackson Via Elementary. Three years later, the time requirements of her job as a preschool teacher offered the…
Meet Volunteer Gaby Lohner
Gaby Lohner moved to Charlottesville in 2018 to work as a Research Assistant with Nudge4 Solutions Lab at the Curry School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. Nudge4 works to help lower income students navigate barriers to higher education. Gaby works closely with community colleges, especially PVCC, helping students navigate admission and financial support. Katharine…
Birthday Brigade
“I feel so much joy each time I sit down to create birthday greetings for our senior clients! I clear the dining room table and bring out the supplies – cards, stickers, and pens. I allocate about four hours to complete the cards for two weeks,” says Kate Wulf, a long-time volunteer at Loaves & Fishes. Kate served as a Client…
Meet Hidden Pines Processing
In 2003, Shawn Woolfolk started Hidden Pines Processing on his farm where he grows crops and raises beef cattle. The first year, he processed approximately 300 to 400 deer. For a few years, he continued at that pace, and slowly expanded his capacity. In 2019, Hidden Pines processed more than 2,200 deer and 50 bears,…
4P Foods Delivers as an Important Partner
“I feel so much joy each time I sit down to create birthday greetings for our senior clients! I clear the dining room table and bring out the supplies—cards, stickers, and pens. I allocate about four hours to complete the cards for two weeks,” says Kate Wulf, a long-time volunteer at Loaves & Fishes. Kate served as a Client Guide for over two…
C’ville Craft Aid Comes to the Rescue with Face Masks for All
Jen Koym didn’t imagine that her love of crafts and sewing would turn into managing an in-demand service to the community. But when COVID-19 arrived in Charlottesville, the need for protective face coverings in our community and other PPE for healthcare workers became an overnight desperate demand. Jen wasted no time creating kits for more…
How Abundant Life Ministries Benefits from Loaves & Fishes
Charlottesville’s Abundant Life Ministries demonstrates God’s love through holistic community development in the Prospect neighborhood. The ministry started in 1996 and includes three main pillars: Spiritual Development, Academic Support and Economic Empowerment. Anne Brown, director of community engagement for Abundant Life said that she’s grateful for all that Loaves & Fishes provides to the community, especially during…
Loaves & Fishes Provides Food to Guests of The Haven
The Haven, located in downtown Charlottesville, endeavors to end homelessness in the greater Charlottesville community. Those without a place to call home have challenges obtaining nutritious food as well as other basics. The Haven provides a place to shower, do laundry, receive mail, and receive assistance with finding housing and employment. Francesca Rinaldo, the kitchen…
Community Partner • Pasture to Produce
The idea of growing and sharing produce is based on the credo of the Chestnut Grove Baptist Church: Faith, Formation, and Fruitfulness. This past spring, Pastor Lance King looked out his office window and saw empty fields and envisioned healthy crops growing there to feed local underserved people. He knew one of his parishioners owned…
Loaves & Fishes Expansion
Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry announced today a campaign to raise $225,000 to expand its capacity to feed the area’s hungry. Since March 17 and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Loaves & Fishes has provided more than one million pounds of food to 28,429 people. The fundraising campaign will help the nonprofit pantry expand,…