As it turns 20, Pocahontas Parkway makes $20,000 grant to Feed More

To celebrate its 20th anniversary this year, Pocahontas Parkway is providing $60,000 in grants to several local nonprofit organizations during the year.

This week, the toll road announced a $20,000 grant to Richmond-based Feed More, which will be used to help support its Meals on Wheels program.

"The fight against hunger and food insecurity is an issue that affects far too many of our neighbors in Central Virginia and so many others around the world," said Pocahontas Parkway Director of Operations Antonio Moreno. "This is a very important issue for all of us at Pocahontas Parkway and Globalvia, and we are proud to support a local organization that is directly supporting our most vulnerable neighbors. We look forward to developing our partnership with Feed More over the coming months."

Since 1967, Feed More's Meals on Wheels program has been dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of elderly and homebound neighbors across Central Virginia. Meals on Wheels provides nutritious meals delivered daily along with social interactions, safety checks, and more.

“We are truly humbled by Globalvia’s generosity and support of our mission,” said Aaron McClung, chief development officer at Feed More. "This donation helps our Meals on Wheels program continue to serve senior and homebound neighbors in need, and help our clients remain independent while receiving the healthy meals they need to thrive."

Feed More's Meals on Wheels volunteers deliver meals along more than 100 routes throughout Central Virginia, reaching as far north as Louisa, west to Goochland, east to New Kent County, and south to Dinwiddie.

"Thanks to our caring volunteers, we delivered 309,770 meals to more than 1,700 recipients across our region in 2021," said McClung. "That’s nearly 6,000 meals delivered to our homebound Richmond area neighbors each week."

In addition to the Feed More grant, Pocahontas Parkway is planning two additional grants over the coming weeks, which will be earmarked for a local drivers safety program as well as a veterans services partner, in honor of Pocahontas Parkway's integral connection to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge, which is located at the eastern end of the 8.8-mile toll road.

This year's round of community grants follows a $20,000 grant in 2020 that Pocahontas Parkway provided to Communities In Schools of Richmond to assist with the organization's emergency food assistance outreach in Eastern Henrico County during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pocahontas Parkway is an 8.8-mile stretch of toll road in Henrico that opened to motorists in May 2002 and was the Virginia highway project financed under the Commonwealth’s Public-Private Transportation Act, which was passed in 1995. It connects I-95 and Chippenham Parkway with Interstate 295 and is used by more than 6 million vehicles annually.