Service. It Does a Body Good.

We at Play love to eat. I mean seriously, we schedule meetings in our kitchen, we throw parties just to eat chili, and we secretly look forward to Wednesday mornings just to eat some cheese and bread. So the fact that thousands of Virginians go hungry each day is simply something that doesn't sit well with us (nor do three bean burritos and a chimichanga).

So, to show our concern about hunger in Virginia, the Play team spent the morning of August 8 volunteerering at the Central Virginia Food Bank. Half of the team worked in the Community Kitchen-- cracking eggs, spooning applesauce, and packaging meals for Meals on Wheels distribution. And the other half helped by sorting, discarding, and distributing foods in their Distribution Warehouse. The Food Bank is a well-oiled machine, committed to their mission that "none shall go hungry." The Food Bank feeds the elderly, children, the unemployed, the "working poor", victims of disaster, and those in crisis through more than 500 partner agencies. These agencies consist of church pantries, senior centers, day care providers, emergency shelters, and more.

What did we learn? That hunger in Virginia is a reality, especially among the youth, and a weak economy and rising food prices are only mitigating the problem. The Food Bank relies on the support and donations of area citizens to curb this widespread issue, and is always looking for willing volunteers to help in both facilities. Want to learn more? Go to their website, www.cvfb.org and find out how you can get involved.