When emergencies disrupt food access, the Community Resiliency Emergency Fund steps in to help. Together, we can ensure veterans and families across the Northern Shenandoah Valley never face hunger alone. This Veterans Day, United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley honors the men and women who have served our country, and the local nonprofits that serve them every day.
Across Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah, and Warren Counties and the City of Winchester, hundreds of veterans call the Northern Shenandoah Valley home. Many continue to give back through volunteerism and leadership. Yet too many still face barriers to stability, especially around food access.
According to the United For ALICE Veterans Dashboard, over 30% of veterans in our region live at or below the ALICE threshold. These are men and women who wore the uniform, served our nation, and now find themselves living check to check: one medical bill, car repair, or missed paycheck away from losing their homes or going without food. That is not the future they earned, and it is not the future we should accept.
Rising Food Insecurity Across the Valley
The ongoing federal government shutdown has delayed November SNAP benefits, putting even more pressure on local food pantries and community programs that already serve ALICE households and veterans. In response, the Commonwealth of Virginia has launched the Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance (VENA) Program, providing temporary state-funded benefits beginning November 3 on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday schedule.
While this action will help bridge the gap, our local food networks are already seeing higher demand particularly among veterans and fixed-income households. Regionally, 77% of veterans at or below the ALICE threshold participate in SNAP, meaning over 4,250 individual veterans are impacted by potential food insecurity. Many rely on a mix of SNAP, disability benefits, and local meal programs to stay stable.
United Way NSV remains in close coordination with regional food pantries, DSS offices, and nonprofit partners to share updates and keep resources flowing to the families and veterans who need them most.
You can find verified program updates here.
How the Community Resiliency Emergency Fund Helps
Our Community Resiliency Emergency Fund was created to ensure that local nonprofits can continue serving when emergencies strike. It provides fast, local, and flexible support to help programs stay open and respond immediately when needs surge.
Here in the Northern Shenandoah Valley, that support can look like:
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Assisting a Page County mobile food program with vehicle repairs so volunteers can continue delivering groceries and SNAP materials to rural veterans.
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Providing last-dollar funds in Clarke County to repair a leaking roof at a community kitchen that serves elderly veterans.
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Helping a Frederick County pantry replace refrigeration equipment so they can store fresh produce and proteins for veteran families.
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Supporting a Warren County pantry that delivers fresh food to homebound veterans after their delivery van breaks down.
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Restoring heat at a Winchester shelter where veterans rely on daily hot meals and care coordination.
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Helping a Shenandoah County agency replace outdated computers used to help veterans apply for SNAP and energy assistance online.
These are the moments when resilience is tested and when community steps forward.
The fund began with a $5,000 seed gift from United Way NSV, matched dollar-for-dollar by Our Health, creating a $10,000 foundation of support. Together, we are working to raise $50,000 by December 1, 2025 to sustain this rapid-response safety net across the region.
Why It Matters
Investing in the nonprofits that fight hunger and provide emergency aid to veterans is not an act of charity. It is how we make good on the promises of their service. It is a responsibility we all share. It is how we honor their sacrifice, restore their dignity, and build the kind of lasting resilience that strengthens both veterans and the communities they call home.
Give today: givebutter.com/UWNSVCRF
Fast. Local. Flexible.
In the Northern Shenandoah Valley, resilience is built through service by those who wore the uniform and by those who keep our community strong every day.
#VeteransDay #UnitedWayNSV #CommunityResilience #UnitedistheWay #ALICE #WinchesterVA #NorthernShenandoahValley
Organizational Disclosure:
Financial statements are available upon request from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218. Registration does not imply endorsement.
For full details, visit the United Way NSV financial and regulatory disclosure page:
https://www.unitedwaynsv.org/disclosure
Sources:
United For ALICE Veterans Dashboard (2023)
United For ALICE. Veterans Data Dashboard: Financial Hardship Among Veterans in the United States.
Retrieved from: https://www.unitedforalice.org/local-maps/focus-veterans
Key findings: 35 percent of veteran households in the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission area live below the ALICE threshold, earning more than the federal poverty level but less than the basic cost of living. 77% of veterans at or below the ALICE threshold participate in SNAP.