Give a senior a hot meal on a cold day.
LOA’s annual canned food drive was held January 29-February 5, 2025! Thanks especially to St. Peter and St. Paul Anglican Church who graciously hosted us for this community undertaking, to our partner AARP Virginia, and to the Silver Sponsor of the event, the Salem Host Lions Club. Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who helped inspect, sort, and pack the canned goods and deliver the thousands of bags to seniors in need in our community.
When
February 3 – 5, 2025, 9 AM – 4 PM
at main collection site: Church of St. Peter and St. Paul
4909 North Lake Dr, Roanoke, VA 24019
January 29 – February 5, 2025
at other drop-off sites (see below for list)
What is Needed Most
No glass containers; please check expiration dates. Low-salt, nutritious items are preferred.
- Soup
- Peanut Butter
- Canned Meats
- Canned Fruit
- Canned Vegetables
- Crackers
- Oatmeal
- Boost or Ensure
Other Drop-Off Sites
Canned food donations can be brought to the following other drop-off sites between:
January 29 – February 5, 2025
Alleghany Highlands: call 540-962-0465
APRIA Healthcare: 5151 Starkey Rd, Ste B, Roanoke
Blue Eagle Credit Union (only these locations):
- Hershberger: 1430 Hershberger Rd NW
- North Market: 7208A Williamson Rd
- Oak Grove: 2121 Electric Rd
- Rutherford: Inside USPS Building- 419 Rutherford Ave NE
- West Salem: 2809 W Main St. Salem
Evergreen Burial Park: 1307 Summit Ave SW, Roanoke
First Bank (all locations):
- Blue Ridge: 98 Blue Ridge Blvd
- Cloverdale: 614 Lee Highway
- Daleville: 1245 Roanoke Rd
- Fincastle: 17 South Roanoke St
- Roanoke: 310 First St Ste 110
- Troutville: 5192 Lee Highway
Green Ridge Recreation Center: 7415 Wood Haven Rd, Roanoke
Mountain View Cemetery: 1401 Mountain View Rd, Vinton
Roanoke County Libraries (only these locations):
- Bent Mountain Library: 10148 Tinsley Ln, Bent Mountain
- Glenvar Library: 3917 Daugherty Rd, Salem
- South County Library: 6303 Merriman Rd, Roanoke
- Vinton Library: 300 S Pollard St, Vinton
Salem Library: 28 E Main St, Salem
Vistar Eye Center (only these locations):
- 3320 Franklin Rd, Roanoke
- 707 Jefferson St, Downtown Roanoke
- 70 Summerfield Ct, Roanoke
- 426 W Main St, Salem
- 6125 Airport Rd, Roanoke
January 25 – 26, 2025, at Black Dog Salvage
Special collection at Black Dog Salvage, 902 13th St SW. Donate at least $10 worth of food at Black Dog on Jan. 25 or 26 and get 10% off your eligible purchase!
Volunteer
Help unload cars, check dates on cans, sort cans, assemble food into bags, and deliver. If you have any questions about volunteering, please contact LOA at (540) 345-0451.
Other Ways to Help
Hold a Food Drive
Team up with your church, business, school, or other group for your own canned food drive during January. Then deliver your collected food to one of our drop-off sites between January 29-February 5, or to our main collection site the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul on February 3-5, between 9 AM – 4 PM. If you have any questions, please contact Aimee Lawson at LOA: (540) 345-0451 or alawson@loaa.org.
Thanks to our Silver Sponsor
Salem Lions Club
Thanks to our partners
History and Who Benefits
Soup for Seniors volunteers will organize and inspect the donated food, pack an array of items in reusable cloth bags (donated by AARP Virginia), and deliver the bags of food to our older neighbors in need.
Our goal is to collect 55,000 pounds of soup and other non-perishable items to provide bags of food for 3,000 older adults in need right here in our community. At the top of our list of who to serve are LOA’s homebound Meals on Wheels recipients. Other recipients include: LOA’s Diners Club participants; older adults receiving LOA’s transportation, case management, and in-home care services; more than 1,500 residents of low-income, independent senior housing; and seniors who receive assistance from area Departments of Social Services and other agencies.
Begun in 2006, Soup for Seniors had modest goals of serving seniors part of LOA’s Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion programs. The community fully embraced the project, and so much soup and crackers were donated, LOA was able to serve all our program participants, other needy seniors in our community, and more in neighboring communities.
In 2011, LOA took on the project as an agency-wide service and joined forces with AARP Virginia. Collection and distribution were moved to early February to serve the senior population in the most vulnerable part of winter.