March means longer days, warmer temperatures (hopefully!), and, for many in central Virginia, getting out the rake, trowel, and gardening gloves. Lovers of flowers, shrubs, and beauty anticipate the splendors of Garden Week, while those gearing up for soil and sun are looking forward to eating the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. If you […]
March means longer days, warmer temperatures (hopefully!), and, for many in central Virginia, getting out the rake, trowel, and gardening gloves. Lovers of flowers, shrubs, and beauty anticipate the splendors of Garden Week, while those gearing up for soil and sun are looking forward to eating the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. If you […]
Feeding frenzy Local food equity nonprofit Cultivate Charlottesville launched a fundraising campaign to help cover a $500,000 budget shortfall. Without the donations, the organization may close as soon as spring 2025, according to a November 26 social media post. “Cultivate Charlottesville is at a critical funding crossroads,” shared the organization. Among other challenges, the nonprofit […]
There are no places on Cherry Avenue or West Main Street where residents of the Fifeville neighborhood can walk to buy fresh ingredients to prepare nutritious meals, but Aleen Carey doesn’t want you to call the area a food desert. “A desert is a naturally occurring state,” said Carey, the co-executive director of Cultivate Charlottesville. […]
Food insecurity in Albemarle County is on the rise. Feeding America, a national hunger relief organization, reports that while 11.8 percent of Charlottesville’s population was food insecure in 2018, that number is expected to rise to 15.1 percent by the end of 2020. Accordingly, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank told Richmond’s NBC12 in August […]
In normal times, one in six Charlottesville residents—nearly 8,000 people—lack adequate access to affordable, healthy food. That’s 6 percent higher than the statewide food insecurity rate. And with thousands of citizens newly unemployed due to COVID-19, our food insecurity numbers have significantly increased, exacerbating underlying disparities. Dozens of area nonprofits have been working for years […]