Crisis Line offers grocery vouchers to Danville, Pittsylvania residents

By Sarah Arkin

Published: May 15, 2008

Overwhelmed with callers dealing with unexpected financial crunches, the Crisis Line of Danville-Pittsylvania County is tweaking its mission and offering more than sound advice and referrals.
The first direct assistance program, HOPE (Helping Our People Eat), sponsored by the Community Foundation of the Dan River Region, is providing tangible resources for people who have exhausted all other options.
“People who look like they’ve made it on paper are finding themselves in difficult, difficult situations,” Crisis Line representative Andrea Robbins said Thursday. “Food is something you shouldn’t have to worry about.”
The HOPE program provides a voucher to Food Lion for individuals and families in need of food. One individual or family can receive up to $50 in vouchers within a year.
“We’re trying to help the people who fall through the cracks,” Robbins said, explaining that the Crisis Line at its core is a referral service.
“Usually, we’ll refer them to God’s Storehouse or other places that specifically (help with food),” she said. But sometimes people don’t qualify, and with other daily expenditures on a constant rise, people are struggling to fill the pantry.
It also doesn’t help that food pantries’ stocks around the state and the country are lower than they have been in years past, and that more people are in need.
Becky Wales, executive director of God’s Storehouse, said there was good response from the community this past weekend with the “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive, but isn’t sure the food will last through the summer.
Last month, she noted that people who have donated in years past are now struggling to fill their own fridges.
In the first four months, the organization gave away 7,293 boxes of food. Last year, it gave out 6,359 boxes in that same time period.
Robbins said calls have reflected that shifting reality. She said she’s talked to many people “who had always been able to take care of everything, pay their bills, (who are now just) having a hard time.”
Robbins is confident the HOPE program will have a positive effect, basing that on success of the same program launched through the Lynchburg Crisis Line.
Jeanette Wilson with the Lynchburg Crisis Line said its HOPE program, launched in December 2006, has definitely had a positive impact on the community, particularly among elderly people. She also agreed with Wales’ assessment.
“In the past few months, there has been a big increase in the amount of people applying for assistance,” she said.
Robbins said though people have expressed concern about the future, for the most part, outlooks remain positive.
“These are tough times,” she said. “People are worried about everything.”
Despite the concerns, Wales said, “most people are optimistic.”
• Contact Sarah Arkin at or (434) 791-7983.