Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry exists to provide food assistance to families and individuals in need in Charlottesville and surrounding communities. One in six people in Charlottesville struggle with hunger. This struggle can have many effects – family members may skip meals or they may have to choose between food and other important expenses such as housing, utilities or medical bills.

This is where Loaves & Fishes steps in. By providing free groceries once per month to low-income households, we help them stretch their food budgets farther as they try to get on their feet financially.

We work with many area partners including student groups, scout troops, church groups, the United Way, local businesses, and others. We are also the largest distribution partner of the Charlottesville branch of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.
 

Our History

Loaves & Fishes began as an outreach ministry of Charlottesville’s First United Methodist Church in 2004. In 2011, with a desire to build on broader partnerships across the community, Loaves & Fishes incorporated as a Virginia non-profit corporation and received 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS. In January 2012, we relocated to Greenbrier Drive in Albemarle County to better serve our expanding client base and to include space for refrigeration equipment.

In June 2013, we added our first full-time employee, an Executive Director, to provide oversight to our program and to help us build capacity. Since then, we have added a full-time Operations Manager and Warehouse Assistant, full-time Office Manager/Bookkeeper, a Volunteer Coordinator and part-time Driver to keep up with our growing organization and the need in our community.

In August 2015, Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry relocated to 2050 Lambs Road, greatly expanded our food storage and choices, and implemented the client choice model where clients can choose the foods their families are most likely to eat.

Currently, about 190 volunteers each week assist our staff in pursuing our mission to nourish our neighbors in need. A nutritionist visits regularly to demonstrate various ways of preparing foods clients receive at Loaves & Fishes.
  

Timeline