By Matt de Simone
The freezers are stocked with frozen meat. Refrigerators hold fresh fruits and vegetables. Shelves are lined with cereal, pasta, canned vegetables, peanut butter, soup and breakfast foods. Around the corner are paper towels, laundry detergent, shampoo and even pet food.
For many first-time visitors, the Botetourt Food Pantry doesn’t resemble the image they may have had in mind.
Operating from St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Fincastle, the pantry functions less like a warehouse and more like a neighborhood grocery store, where clients can select many of the items that best fit their household. It is one of several food pantries across Botetourt County quietly serving hundreds of families each month through a network of churches, volunteers, civic organizations, businesses and donors.
The need, those involved say, is greater than many residents realize.
“It is an issue because of everything else that has increased– rent and everything else,” Martha Rodgers, co-chair of the Botetourt Food Pantry, explained. “Our numbers have increased.”
The pantry has been serving Botetourt County for nearly five decades, first operating out of a closet in the basement of St. Mark’s before eventually moving into its current location. Rodgers and co-chair Kathy McClung have helped oversee the operation for approximately 20 years, supported by dozens of volunteers who sort food, stock shelves, place orders, and assist clients every distribution day.
During the first six months of 2026, the pantry served 839 families representing 2,736 individuals. In 2025, it distributed more than 80,000 pounds of food and welcomed more than 4,000 pantry visits.
Those numbers, Rodgers noted, represent neighbors from every corner of Botetourt County.
“We see a combination,” she said when asked who typically seeks assistance. “But I would say it leans more toward people 55 and older.”
Communities such as Eagle Rock and Buchanan often experience greater need, she acknowledged, but food insecurity doesn’t stop at town limits or income brackets.
“I’ve delivered to people off Country Club Road,” Rodgers recalled. “Ours is open to everybody.”
Rodgers believes rising housing costs, utility bills, prescription expenses and other everyday necessities have placed increasing pressure on household budgets, leaving many families searching for ways to stretch each dollar.
“This helps offset those costs,” she said.
One of the pantry’s defining features is its client-choice model.
Rather than handing out pre-packed boxes, volunteers walk with each client through the pantry, allowing them to choose items based on the size of their household and the foods they know their family will eat.
The idea grew out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When we had to pack bags, we realized a lot of stuff was wasted,” Rodgers explained. “People know what they need.”
Depending on inventory, visitors may choose fresh produce, frozen meat, eggs, milk, canned goods, cereal, snacks and bread. Hygiene products, laundry detergent, dish soap, toilet paper and pet food are also available, helping families manage expenses that often receive little attention.
Much of that food arrives through partnerships with Feeding Southwest Virginia, local grocery stores, area farmers and generous community members. Gardeners routinely donate fresh vegetables, hunters provide venison, farmers share eggs and produce, and businesses contribute everything from financial support to volunteer hours.
The pantry itself bears the fingerprints of the community. An Eagle Scout constructed many of the sturdy shelving units now holding thousands of pounds of food, while organizations such as the Botetourt Lions Club and local businesses like MicroHarmonics regularly volunteer their time and assist with grant opportunities.
Rodgers emphasized that the Botetourt Food Pantry is only one piece of a much larger effort.
“If I get an excess of something, I’ll call the others,” she said. “We work together.”
Photo courtesy of Rob Johnson
Those “others” include pantries operated by Buchanan Presbyterian Church, Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Springwood Baptist Church and Troutville Baptist Church. Although each serves a different area of the county, they share a common mission.
At Springwood Baptist Church, the pantry is preparing to begin its 15th year of operation. Director Linda Johnson said the organization assists 25 to 35 families each month through a drive-through distribution model staffed entirely by volunteers. The pantry relies on donations, grants, fundraisers and support from the church while partnering with Feeding Southwest Virginia and local retailers.
Johnson challenged a common misconception that hunger is largely an urban problem.
“A general attitude among people seems to be that there couldn’t possibly be hungry people in our county,” she said. “However, our volunteers see the faces of hunger each time the pantry is open.”
She said the pantry serves the working poor, seniors living on fixed incomes, individuals with disabilities and people experiencing homelessness. Requests frequently include nutritious foods such as meat, fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk and cereal, along with hygiene products that can strain already tight budgets.
Johnson also pointed to another challenge unique to northern Botetourt County.
“The northern end of Botetourt County… is considered to be a food desert,” she observed, noting the lack of public transportation can make something as simple as reaching a grocery store difficult for residents without reliable transportation.
At Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Pastor Danny Barham said transportation remains one of the greatest obstacles his pantry encounters.
Rather than waiting for families to travel long distances, volunteers often bring food directly to them.
The church regularly packs about 35 food boxes and distributes them at the Eagle Rock Library, where the boxes are typically gone within 45 minutes. Library staff also maintains food items inside the building during the week, allowing people to stop in discreetly if they need assistance.
Barham said the ministry intentionally provides items families often cannot purchase with SNAP benefits, including toilet paper, paper towels and other household essentials.
“The biggest shift we’ve seen over the past few years is simply the sheer volume,” he said. “The need has skyrocketed.”
Buchanan Presbyterian Church has likewise become a cornerstone for residents in the county’s western end.
Volunteer William Stull said the pantry has distributed food since 2010, providing more than 25,000 grocery bags valued at more than $500,000. Community partners including the Buchanan Lions Club and several local churches help distribute food twice each month, regardless of where recipients live.
“We want everyone to know that there is no shame in asking for help,” Stull noted. “There is certainly no judgment on our part.”
Troutville Baptist Church’s food pantry, established in 2010, has also watched the landscape evolve over the years. While the church has seen fewer families visiting its pantry as additional food pantries have opened throughout the county, volunteers stress that the need remains. The ministry continues to receive generous support from Troutville Grocery and Goods, the Botetourt Longbeards, area churches and individual donors– including one couple who donated 150 pounds of ground beef.
Taken individually, each pantry tells only part of the story.
Together, they paint a picture of a county where volunteers quietly stock shelves, unload trucks, collect donations, answer phone calls and greet neighbors with compassion rather than judgment.
Rodgers hopes more residents come to understand that food insecurity exists in every community– including Botetourt County– and that there are many ways to help.
Whether it’s donating food, contributing financially or giving a few hours of volunteer time, she believes every effort matters.
For those who may be struggling, the message shared by every pantry director interviewed for this story was remarkably similar.
There is help available.
And no one should ever feel ashamed to ask for it.
Need food assistance?
Several food pantries serve residents throughout Botetourt County. The Botetourt Food Pantry, located at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Fincastle, is coordinated by Martha Rodgers and Kathy McClung. For information, call Rodgers at (540) 597-0025 or McClung at (540) 589-0001.
Buchanan Presbyterian Church Food Pantry, 19559 Main Street, Buchanan, is open the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from 9-11 a.m. and can be reached through 540–254–1390.
Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Food Pantry is coordinated by Pastor Danny Barham, who can be reached at (540) 529-5960.
Springwood Baptist Church Food Pantry operates a drive-through distribution on the third Saturday of each month from 8:30-9:30 a.m. For more information, contact Linda Johnson at (540) 520-4585.
Troutville Baptist Church Food Pantry is open the second and fourth Saturdays from 9-11 a.m. and can be reached by contacting Ed Miller at (540) 798-0016 or Lucy Miller at (540) 798-0015.
Residents interested in volunteering or making food or monetary donations are encouraged to contact any of the pantries directly.
