Auto Tech Donates Turkeys

Pictured: (from left) Eric Wray - Owner Auto Tech, Travis Adkins - Assistant Executive Director Community Storehouse.

While most of us had food in excess this past holiday season, thousands of poverty-stricken individuals and whole families living right here in Martinsville and Henry County didn't. Many relied on hot meals served at churches and food pantries such as ours to make their holiday a happy one. To help, Auto Tech, located at 1370 Virginia Ave., Martinsville donated turkeys to benefit the needy in our area. Thank you!

Food for Kids

Because the children don't have a choice.

- 54% of students enrolled in Martinsville City Schools and 46% enrolled in Henry County Schools depend on the school free/reduced meal program, and a percentage of those - for their only reliable source of food.

- Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study found that even children considered marginally food insecure - meaning they had food, but not enough, or simply not nutritious - lagged behind their peers in test scores.

- The percentage of children (ages 0-17) who are classified by the Henry-Martinsville Department of Social Services as 'living in poverty' in Henry County is 26% and in the city of Martinsville, over 34%.

- Elementary school-aged children who are food insecure not only have an increased prevalence of negative behavioral and health outcomes, but are more than twice as likely to have seen a psychologist. By the time they are teens, they are two times more likely to have been suspended.

The truth is sad. We have hungry children, going without all around us. For whatever reason their parents found themselves in this situation, it isn't the children's fault and even more sad - there's nothing they can do about it.

The good news is - there's something you can do about it! Become a Backpack Buddy with the Community Storehouse for as little as $20 per month, or $200 for the entire school year and you'll provide a needy child in our community with a new backpack filled with child-friendly, nutritious food, every weekend!

For more information, visit www.communitystorehouseofmhc.org, or call 276-632-9002.

Food Lion Grants $2,500

Pictured: (from left) Peyton Gravely, Backpack Program Coordinator - Community Storehouse, James Inman, Store Manager - Food Lion, Travis Adkins, Assistant Executive Director - Community Storehouse.

The Community Storehouse has received $2,500 from the Food Lion Charitable Foundation. The gift will be used to fund its Food for Kids: School Backpack Program. “We are more than appreciative of Food Lion’s efforts through grants and community involvement to help the needy in our community,” said Travis Adkins, assistant executive director.

The Community Storehouse is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the elimination of poverty and hunger in Southside Virginia, since 2001. The agency’s Food for Kids: School Backpack Program focuses on underprivileged, school-aged children who rely on free breakfast and lunch for their reliable source of nutritious food, and provides them with backpacks full of child-friendly foods to last weekends when that source of food is not available.

Established in 2001, the Food Lion Charitable Foundation provides financial support for programs and organizations dedicated to improving the communities in which Food Lion operates. The Foundation places an emphasis on the support of primary and secondary education, feeding the hungry, and organizations that enhance the quality of life in Food Lion’s local communities.

Food Lion LLC is a subsidiary of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG). Food Lion LLC operates more than 1,300 supermarkets, either directly or through affiliated entities, under the names of Food Lion, Bloom, Bottom Dollar Food, Harveys and Reid’s. These stores meet local customer needs and preferences for the freshest and best quality products. Food Lion LLC employs approximately 73,000 associates in 11 Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states.

Feed the Children Event with Star Touring

'Star Touring' Volunteers

The Community Storehouse & Star Touring Motorcycle Organization hosted, in cooperation with Feed the Children an event to provide needy families in Martinsville & Henry County with food boxes, hygiene boxes, and cases of water. The event was a huge success! A special thank you is due to Boxley Material Co. for their financial support & to their employees for volunteering their time!

Why We Volunteer - Storehouse Slideshow

Why We Volunteer

The Community Storehouse relies on dedicated, generous community members who volunteer their time to ensure that the essential emergency operations of our agency are fulfilled.

Featured in this slideshow are the voices of Nancy Nelson, founder of the Community Storehouse; Bobbi Bird, full-time volunteer; and Linda Allen, part-time volunteer.

THANK YOU to all our volunteers!

Piedmont Governor’s School - Food Drive

The junior and senior classes of the Piedmont Governor’s School for Mathematics, Science & Technology recently held a food drive benefiting the Community Storehouse. The drive focused on child-friendly foods that will be used in the agency ‘Food for Kids: School Backpack Program’. Items donated ranged from cereal to kids’ snacks.

At the conclusion of the drive, students were allotted time to learn about hunger in our community and how their donations will be used by the Storehouse. “I’d like to thank the students, teachers, and administration for participating in this event & for the partnership that has been developed between our agency and the school for future successful drives. A special thank you is due to Dr. Nina Huff for her efforts in coordinating the drive,” said Travis Adkins, assistant executive director & public information officer, Community Storehouse.

YMCA Donates Backpacks

After the Community Storehouse front-page feature in the Martinsville Bulletin, explaining the progress and needs of the ‘Food for Kids: School Backpack Program’ the local YMCA stepped up to the plate and donated over 30 new backpacks for use in the program!

Pictured: Becky Forestier, YMCA; Travis Adkins, Community Storehouse