Accomack Board of Supervisors awards grant money to expand Food Bank service capacity

The Accomack County Board of Supervisors has approved funding for an expansion project at the Tasley Food Bank.

Supervisors voted to award more than $54,000 to engineering firm George Miles and Buhr to design an addition to the facility. The funding comes from a 100-thousand-dollar grant provided last year by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

The expansion will support the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore in growing its Tasley operations. Plans include increased food storage and distribution capacity, a new client-choice marketplace, additional space for volunteers, and improved traffic flow during food distribution events along Coastal Boulevard.

The need for expansion is significant. The Tasley Food Bank currently serves an average of 3,500 individuals, or about 1,100 households, each month.

Food Bank CEO Christopher Tan says food insecurity remains a serious issue on the Eastern Shore, affecting one in seven people and one in four children.

In the last fiscal year alone, the Food Bank distributed nearly 1.5 million pounds of food in Accomack County—providing more than three million meals. Officials say demand continues to rise, and the current facility can no longer meet the growing need.