Richmond food pantry celebrates new walk-in freezer to 'spread the love and kindness'

RICHMOND, Va. —A Richmond food pantry has a new tool to help feed central Virginians in need.

On Friday, the Belmont Food Pantry opened a new walk-in freezer, giving it better access to food and more resources for the more than 750 families who visit each week. The freezer allows Belmont, a partner agency of FeedMore, to store two to three weeks' worth of meat.

The need has grown sharply. Executive Director Helen Trevey said the pantry has grown by more than 100% since she joined the organization in 2022. Earlier this year, during a local water crisis, the pantry served its highest number yet — 750 families in a single week.

"We know that there are families who will use our food pantry when there is a crisis," Trevey said.

Belmont distributes a huge amount of food. On a typical Friday, the pantry gives out more than 20,000 pounds of food to nearly 700 families, Trevey said. The effort relies on about 150 volunteers each week.

Trevey said the people who come through the doors include working families and seniors on fixed incomes who are struggling to keep up with rising costs.

"We have people who are working full time but just have trouble with the rent costs and high inflation and food, or we have seniors who've been on fixed incomes for 10, 15 years and the rising cost is a big struggle for them," Trevey said. "It's not unusual for us to see our numbers go up in times of crisis, but at the same time it's our job as a food pantry to be ready for whatever is coming our way."

Trevey said changes to SNAP benefits could add to the strain for some families.

"SNAP benefits have been fluctuating for years, and so I have folks that get $28 a month and I get some folks that say they get $1,000 a month," Trevey said. "For some who rely solely on their food stamps or the EBT card, yes, this could be an impactful moment."

The pantry is run by the nonprofit Belmont Community Resource Services, which was founded by Belmont United Methodist Church. What started with church members providing food for their neighbors has grown into an organization that expects to serve nearly 90,000 people this year. Trevey said the nonprofit spends about $250,000 a year but provides more than $2 million worth of food.

For Trevey, Friday distributions are about more than just handing out groceries.

"On Fridays, our food pantry becomes a family. We see folks that we see every week," Trevey said. "Everyone is welcome here. They're provided respect. They're provided grace, and most certainly they're provided food and free clothing if we have it. We're all neighbors, and the community is the only way that we can be impactful."

She encouraged people to get involved, whether by volunteering or donating.

"It's so important that the community not look to why we have this problem, but how we can make a solution, and the solution is supporting your neighbors, checking on your neighbors, and supporting your local food pantries who are doing everything they can to meet the need," Trevey said.

The Belmont Food Pantry is open from 8:30 a.m. to noon every Friday. It is located in the 3500 block of Broad Rock Boulevard.