Anne Holton Visits Capital Area Food Bank

Anne Holton, wife of Virginia's Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine, stopped by the Capital Area Food Bank on Tuesday in Lorton. Holton dropped off bags of groceries from her husband's campaign office, and spent an hour filling lunch bags for needy kids. 

"I came to highlight the great work these guys are doing, and how important it is during these tough days," said Holton to Patch. Holton, whose spouse was also governor of Virginia, is also a former first lady of the Commonwealth.

The Capital Area Food Bank hosts numerous programs, and Holton was participating in the Weekend Bag Program, which distributes lunch bags for 700 kids at 56 schools and community centers throughout the DC Metro area.  

"We need more donations because the need in the community is growing," said Brian Banks, communications director for the Capital Area Food Bank. We'e seen numbers increase 300-500 percent of people calling in to the food bank over the last two-and-a-half years. And sometimes that has meant we've had to serve less food to more people to deal with increasing demand." 

Receiving provisions from a food bank is a matter of pride for many middle class families. "It's not something that they're used to, not something that they ever thought they would have to do. This is the end result for them, but after six months, a lot of families get back on their feet and off of the program," said Banks.

The Capital Area Food Bank is looking for black beans, peanut butter and canned food. The Lorton facility is located at 6833 Hill Park Drive.