CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – New numbers are in about how many people are hungry in the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank region, and they’re trending the wrong way. The food bank’s Les Sinclair says the Map the Meal Gap numbers show nearly 172,000 out of the region’s population of 1.6-million are living in food insecurity. That’s 1-in-10 people overall, and 1-in-9 children. That’s up from the previous overall figure of 1-in-12.

He says those are from the latest numbers available… the rate in 2022. If pantry visits are any indicator, Sinclair says the numbers will be worse in ’23 and ’24. He said the peak during the pandemic was about 146,000 on-average guest visits per month, and this year they’re averaging about 153,000. He says the peak was in October of last year with 173,000 guest visits. The main culprit is inflation.