On Oct. 13, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) was invited to participate in a community discussion held at the Feeding Southwest Virginia Community Solutions Center on Melrose Avenue about the lack of healthy food options in the Region.
Food insecurity, a condition of limited access to adequate, nutritious food, is deeply embedded within the economy, inflation and cost of living.
Pamela Irvine views hunger as a matter of justice rather than charity. In 1981, she founded Feeding Southwest Virginia, a non-profit hunger relief organization dedicated to eliminating food deserts throughout the region. Last year, the organization distributed over 16 million meals to individuals in need.
As the GOP holds all three branches of government, President Trump has used significant influence to reduce nutrition and food assistance initiatives in favor of tax cuts for the top one percent. Following the passage of HR1, better known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, in July 2025, the administration enacted the largest funding cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) since the program was created in 1964.
With the midterms just three weeks away, a loss for Democrats would mean the Trump Administration will continue to have the ability to dismantle social safety nets which have been in place since the Roosevelt Administration. A Democratic win in either the House or Senate will stave off further cuts to the safety net currently relied upon by many of Warner’s constituents.
Among the stakeholders who took part in the discussion were Lee Clark, Rescue Mission of Roanoke CEO; Sarah Steeley, Director of No Kid Hungry Virginia; Alec Easton, Director of Agency Partnerships at Feeding Southwest Virginia; Brandi Lazare, Sergeant of Community Engagement with the Roanoke City Sheriff’s Office, and Doug Pitzer, Founder and Educational Director of Strokes of Genius, LLC.
When questioned about the number of Commonwealth residents who go to bed hungry every night by Pitzer, Warner replied, “If people knew how many of our fellow Virginians went to bed hungry, they would be willing to do more and I’ve got to do a better job of making that case.” He went on to say, “While local community organizations do an amazing job at fighting the food insecurity issue, federal assistance is truly the key.”
Warner is the vice chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus and the Senate Intelligence Committee. In addition, Warner oversees Democratic strategy and policy. He also leads the minority party members of the panel and since being elected to the Senate in 2008, Warner has sponsored or introduced nearly 370 bills, joint resolutions or simple resolutions.
