Some Food Pantries for New River Valley (NRV), Virginia

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
	Willow Woods – RADFORD - (Aug 4th and 18th) alternating with at Lilly Woods. Arrive at 9:15 to get ticket.  For apartment residents first then in ticket order for non-residents.	BLAND – 10-1 – BLAND ministry Center65 Seddon Street, Bland VA 276-688-4701 Per client report, arrive at 8:00 AM. Dwelling Place - Christiansburg – 4-6?? Arrive at 3:30. Attend once per month	Dwelling Place - Christiansburg – 4-6?? Arrive at 3:30. Attend once per month	9-4 Heritage Route 100, Dublin. Heritage Church. Can go once every 4 weeks. USDA Food Pantry.	Fieldstone – 6-7 Do not arrive before 4:30. Raffle System. No benefit with arriving early. Can go 1 time every 3 weeks.	8-10 All About Jesus – RADFORD.  Arrive by 7:00 AM to get a decent box.  Order of Arrival.
­­	Willow Woods – RADFORD - (Aug 4th and 18th) alternating with at Lilly Woods. Arrive at 9:15 to get ticket.  For apartment residents first then in ticket order for non-residents.. SHARE PRODUCE DISTRIBUTION – Dora Highway – Pulaski, 2:00 PM.  Arrive by 1:00 for best selection.  NO SHELTER OR SHADE WHILE WAITING.	BLAND – 10-1 – BLAND ministry Center65 Seddon Street, Bland VA 276-688-4701 Per client report, arrive at 8:00 AM. Dwelling Place - Christiansburg – 4-6?? Arrive at 3:30. Attend once per month	Dwelling Place - Christiansburg – 4-6?? Arrive at 3:30. Attend once per month	9-4 Heritage Route 100, Dublin. Heritage Church. Can go once every 4 weeks. USDA Food Pantry.	Fieldstone – 6-7 Do not arrive before 4:30. Raffle System. No benefit with arriving early. Can go 1 time every 3 weeks.	8-10 All About Jesus – RADFORD.  Arrive by 7:00 AM to get a decent box.  Order of Arrival.
	Willow Woods – RADFORD - (Aug 4th and 18th) alternating with at Lilly Woods. Arrive at 9:15 to get ticket.  For apartment residents first then in ticket order for non-residents.	BLAND – 10-1 – BLAND ministry Center65 Seddon Street, Bland VA 276-688-4701 Per client report, arrive at 8:00 AM. Dwelling Place - Christiansburg – 4-6?? Arrive at 3:30. Attend once per month	Dwelling Place - Christiansburg – 4-6?? Arrive at 3:30. Attend once per month	9-4 Heritage Route 100, Dublin. Heritage Church. Can go once every 4 weeks. USDA Food Pantry. 3rd Thursday and Friday = Gethsemane Baptist Church, RADFORD – 10-2.  Box goods only.  DONOT ARRIVE BEFORE 10:00 AM.	3rd Thursday and Friday = Gethsemane Baptist Church, RADFORD – 10-2.  Box goods only.  DONOT ARRIVE BEFORE 10:00 AM. Fieldstone – 6-7 Do not arrive before 4:30. Raffle System. No benefit with arriving early. Can go 1 time every 3 weeks.	8-10 All About Jesus – RADFORD.  Arrive by 7:00 AM to get a decent box.  Order of Arrival.
4th Sunday 2-4 Radford Worship Center - Radford – Arrive at 1:00.  Order of Arrival. USDA Food Pantry	Willow Woods – RADFORD - (Aug 4th and 18th) alternating with at Lilly Woods. Arrive at 9:15 to get ticket.  For apartment residents first then in ticket order for non-residents.	BLAND – 10-1 – BLAND ministry Center65 Seddon Street, Bland VA 276-688-4701 Per client report, arrive at 8:00 AM. 4th Tuesday – SHARE BOX Distribution- Share building on Dora Highway, PULASKI.  10:00 AM.  Arrive by 8:30.  Order of arrival.  NO SHADE OR SHELTER WHILE WAITING!! Dwelling Place - Christiansburg – 4-6?? Arrive at 3:30. Attend once per month	Dwelling Place - Christiansburg – 4-6?? Arrive at 3:30. Attend once per month	9-4 Heritage Route 100, Dublin. Heritage Church. Can go once every 4 weeks. USDA Food Pantry.	Fieldstone – 6-7 Do not arrive before 4:30. Raffle System. No benefit with arriving early. Can go 1 time every 3 weeks.	8-10 All About Jesus – RADFORD.  Arrive by 7:00 AM to get a decent box.  Order of Arrival.

ONLY FOR BLACKSBURG RESIDENTS – Interfaith Food Pantry.  Basement of Catholic Church on Harding Street.  Blacksburg.  Registration through NR Community Action.

NR Community Action and Salvation Army – Food Pantries available – Contact local branches of organization/angency.

Salvation Army Christiansburg Church on Roanoke Street – Monday and Friday 12-1:30 Free Lunch for people.

Daily Bread in Radford 11-12:30.  Daily Bread in Pulaski as well.

Drop-in Center at Fieldstone – 10-2 THURSDAYS – Serves Lunch at Noon.  Also has access to ONE washer and ONE Dryer without charge.  Get there at 10:00 to have time to wait for your turn at doing a load of laundry.

Unfortunate Statements and a wish for something different

I work with a subset of the population which experiences discrimination on multiple fronts every single day.  Today was a doozy with stupid statements from well-meaning people who have no clue.

AND PLEASE UNDERSTAND - I am not sure I am even aware of all the bias and inaccurate information.  I do not LIVE the same life as do the people with whom I work.  I am blessed to have a life that has had different challenges and different lessons.  It is slowly that I am learning how very blessed I was and am.

But I am very much learning people's lives are neither simple nor easy.  There are no easy answers to "fix" problems which are society-wide and systemic.  There are no demons in this story.


Statements that make me clench my teeth and want to scream:

"I don't know why they can't just make better choices.  That's why they have food stamps to make sure they have food"

"We only let people come to the food pantry once a month cause it should be enough to get them through if they are really using their food stamps"

"People are only homeless because they are too lazy to work"

"If you pray enough, you won't have problems with mental illness"

"Those people are just abusing the system"

"Medicaid should not exist.  My taxes should not pay for people who can't be bothered to get a job"

"You can choose not to have mental illness"

"Only criminals go to jail"

"There are safety nets for people.  No one has to be homeless or hungry.  They just don't want help."


I just so very dearly wish that people would look past labels and preconceived ideas to see the PERSON on the other side of that neat little box.  Maybe if we could have honest and caring conversations, instead of taking the convenient short-cuts of incomplete labels, we might start seeing what can be done.