Community Food Drive Provides Critical Support for Area Seniors Following Winter Storms
Roanoke, Va. (Feb. 24, 2025)– The Roanoke Valley community rallied to support its older residents through the Local Office on Aging’s annual Soup for Seniors food drive, providing essential nutrition to more than 2,800 seniors. The initiative, which concluded this month, collected 46,000 pounds of shelf-stable food.
Since its inception in October 2006, Soup for Seniors has become a cornerstone program for addressing food insecurity among the region’s elderly population. Volunteers packed and distributed 2,800 bags containing soups, peanut butter, crackers and other essential food items to elderly residents across the Roanoke Valley, many of whom rely on Meals on Wheels and other LOA services.
“This program represents a tremendous community effort, with more than 600 volunteers coming together to make it successful,” said Ron Boyd, president and CEO of the Local Office on Aging. “We distributed essential food items to more than 2,800 clients who receive in-home care and to residents in low-income senior housing. When you consider rising food costs and the basic need for nutritious food, these supplies make a real difference in helping our seniors maintain their independence.”
The initiative succeeded through partnerships with LOA Silver Sponsor, Salem Host Lions Club; LOA partner AARP Virginia, which supplies a large contingent of volunteers each year; media sponsor Fox Radio 910 & 104.3 FM; St. Peter and St. Paul Anglican Church hosted as the main distribution center; Packaging Corporation of America donated new collection boxes for drop-off sites to collect soup; Sam’s Club lent shopping carts to help process donations; and Kanawha Scales & Systems donated a scale to weigh all the soup. The Roanoke County Sheriff’s Office was also a big help this year, picking up loads of soup from county schools and making deliveries. Additionally, we could not have accomplished this without the support of our drop-off site locations: First Bank, Vistar Eye Center, Black Dog Salvage, APRIA Healthcare, Blue Eagle Credit Union, Evergreen Burial Park, Green Ridge Recreation Center, Mountain View Cemetery, Roanoke County Public Libraries, and Salem Public Library.
Though Soup for Seniors is over for this year, the need continues throughout the year. We always welcome shelf-stable food donations to LOA’s Emergency Food Pantry.
Items can be dropped off Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., at LOA’s main office, located at 4932 Frontage Road NW, Roanoke, VA, 24019.
LOA staff members are happy to help unload donations, and donors can reach them when they arrive, at (540) 345-0451.
