At A Glance
Household food insecurity is defined as having limited or uncertain access to food. Residents in the West Piedmont Health District of Virginia have higher rates of food insecurity than the state average of 11.8%. In the city of Martinsville and in Henry, Patrick, and Franklin Counties, 22.6%, 14.9%, 12.8% and 10.9% of the population are food insecure, respectively. In 2015, Go Healthy West Piedmont (GHWP) provided refrigerators to five food pantries and a soup kitchen for storage and display of fresh produce. GHWP also works to promote local Giving Gardens by providing essential supplies and support to the gardens, healthy lifestyle information, and nutrition education to the food pantries in order to increase healthier food access in the community.
Public Health Challenge
Feeding America estimates that an average meal in Virginia costs $3.01. Despite this modest price, an additional $523,149,000 is needed to meet Virginia’s food requirements, which means that Virginians are missing 173,803,654 meals. US adults living in food-insecure households consume fewer weekly servings of fruits, vegetables, and dairy and lower levels of micronutrients, including magnesium, iron, zinc, and calcium. Not eating enough nutritious foods has been associated with having chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity. In the West Piedmont Health District, food pantries and soup kitchens can help close the gap for residents who are food insecure, but they sometimes are unable to distribute fresh produce before it spoils.