The dozens of empty vehicles on the roads after the most recent ICE raid in Greene County told one story. 

Local advocates say another is unfolding behind closed doors: In Charlottesville and Central Virginia, immigrant families are afraid to go to work, the grocery store or to take their children to school. Many have lost loved ones, social support networks and the income of family breadwinners to detentions and deportations. Some are going hungry.

Logo reads "Short & Important"

“Food insecurity is clearly increasing in the local Latino community, but our clients are hesitant to reach out to organizations for aid,” Javier Raudales, executive director of Sin Barreras, said in a news release for the event. “I hope the broader Charlottesville community will join us for this forum, to hear how my community is suffering from this federal pressure and to help us get through it.”

A free virtual community forum on Monday, June 29 aims to shed light on those challenges.

The community forum will begin at 8 p.m. on Zoom (register on Eventbrite to attend) and is expected to last about an hour. Organizers say the forum will feature local service providers who work directly with immigrant families, including representatives from local non-profit immigrant support network Sin Barreras, Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry, Fuerza Latina Virginia and a local English as a Second Language teacher.

Take action

Learn about food insecurity among immigrant families

If you’re interested in learning about rising food insecurity among local immigrant families, you can attend a virtual community forum this Monday, June 29 organized by a group of of Charlottesville nonprofits and community groups. 

The community forum will begin at 8 p.m. on Zoom. Register on Eventbrite to attend. 

The event is organized by the Grocery Card Campaign, a coalition of local nonprofits and community groups raising money to provide grocery gift cards to immigrant families facing hunger and financial hardship. 

Presenters will share the stories of local families affected by immigration enforcement as well as factors contributing to increased food insecurity among immigrant families, followed by a question-and-answer session. 

The forum comes as demand for food assistance continues to rise across the region. According to organizers, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank reported that demand increased by more than 16% in 2025 compared with 2024, after increasing by more than 15% the previous year.

“As a teacher of English Learners, I see what a profound impact food insecurity has on my students and their families,” local ESL teacher Tina Vasquez said in a news release. “Grocery cards are discreet and allow some of our most vulnerable families to be cost effective and purchase exactly what they need most to get through difficult times.”

The Grocery Card Campaign is run by the The Legal Aid Justice Center, Sin Barreras, the Central Virginia Community Support Fund, Keep Going Together and Indivisible Charlottesville. 

While we can’t cover every story that’s important to you, we do our best to be responsive to your needs. We use tips from readers to choose which stories to cover, to incorporate information into broader reports or to help us decide how to grow Charlottesville Tomorrow. Here’s where you can tell us what you think we should be covering.

More local News

Hi! I’m Allie, Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Public Institutions Reporter. I'm a corps member with Report for America and part of the Open Campus cohort of journalists who report on higher education.