Devils Backbone partners with Blue Ridge Area Food Bank to fund five mobile sites

Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and Devils Backbone Brewing Company have renewed a partnership that includes a financial contribution to the ongoing commitment to supply food to local Virginians.

Through a $25,000 donation, Devils Backbone is funding five distribution sites for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s Mobile Food Pantry Program, supporting thousands of Virginians facing food insecurity.

The food bank’s goal is to serve the residents of 25 counties and eight cities in Virginia with nutrient-rich foods to support the health of individuals and families. For the past 15 years, the Mobile Food Pantry program has distributed groceries to residents whose access to food is limited. With 10 distribution sites across central and western Virginia, the Mobile Food Pantry program reaches an average of 2,100 households monthly and is becoming more crucial in rural Virginia.

“The Mobile Food Pantry program enables the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank to reach more rural Virginians, helping ensure everyone has enough to eat, regardless of where they live,” Blue Ridge Area Food Bank CEO Michael McKee said. “Devils Backbone‘s generous donation to support the Mobile Food Pantry Program demonstrates their commitment to ending hunger in our community, which is also their community. This continued partnership will help us reach even more people and families and provide essential food assistance, making a real difference in people’s lives.”

Devils Backbone’s donation will support the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank as it continues distributing nutritious food to families in need. In last few weeks, Devils Backbone has spotlighted the partnership at its three locations in Nelson County, Charlottesville and Lexington. At each location, Devils Backbone is accepting non-perishable food donations, which will be delivered to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.

“We are proud to continue our longstanding support of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank as addressing food insecurity, especially in rural communities, has been important to our founders, Steve and Heidi Crandall,” Hayes Humphreys, COO of Devils Backbone, said. “Mobile distribution sites are critically important, especially for rural communities like ours, so this partnership will make an immediate impact on our neighbors who rely on the food bank most.”

Last year’s partnership was driven by the brewery’s award-winning Vienna Lager sales, which included a $1 donation from Devils Backbone for every 6-pack sold, up to $160,000. Since January 2019, Devils Backbone has donated more than $200,000 to the organization and will continue to support the food bank’s goal of alleviating hunger in western and central Virginia.