A donation program that began in late 2025 to support community members impacted by the federal government shutdown has grown into two permanent collection sites in the Town of Gordonsville.

Logo reads "Short & Important"

Gordonsville Town Manager Anthony Schienschang said that the collection program was initially established as area residents were at risk of losing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits during what became the longest federal government shutdown in history. When the shutdown ended, he made the decision to turn the collection drive into an ongoing program to address continuing needs in the community.

“Growing up, my family had to go to the food bank multiple times because I was raised by a single mother with three boys,” he said. “So personally, my heart goes out to people in those situations and if there’s something we can do to make life a little bit easier for them, I’m happy to do it.”

Schienschang chose to partner with Good Samaritan Inc. for its decade-long track record of serving a wide range of community members, including those from marginalized and historically underserved communities. He added the town may eventually expand its collection efforts to include other local nonprofits.

Take action

Donate to Good Samaritan food pantry and clothes closet

The town of Gordonsville has established two collection sites to make it easier for Gordonsville residents to donate to Good Samaritan Inc., a local nonprofit food pantry and clothes closet.

Community members can drop off donations at either Gordonsville Town Hall, located at 112 S. Main St., or the Gordonsville Visitor Center, located at 200 S. Main St., during business hours. Accepted items include unexpired, nonperishable food, unused personal care items and clothing without any rips or stains.

For more information on Gordonsville’s donation collection sites, contact Town Manager Anthony Schienschang at (540) 832-2233 or aschienschang@gordonsville.org. 

Those who live closer to the Town of Orange can also donate directly to Good Samaritan Inc., located at 105 N. Madison Road, from noon to 6 p.m. on Thursdays and from noon to 3 p.m. on Fridays. 

Community members in need of food or clothing can simply walk into Good Samaritan in Orange during the hours above on Thursday and Friday, or by appointment on other days. The food pantry and clothes closet are available to all community members regardless of whether or not they reside in Orange County. For more information about Good Samaritan’s programs, contact Valencia Bailey at (540) 840-0722 or info@goodsamaritaninc.org.

Good Samaritan provides food and clothing to those in need throughout Orange County, including the Town of Gordonsville, but accepts clients regardless of where they live. The organization partners with Blue Ridge Area Food Bank to distribute food sourced from the United States Department of Agriculture, but supplemental donations from community members help Good Samaritan to provide emergency relief for anyone whether or not they qualify for government assistance.

“No one ever walks in the door of Good Samaritan without getting food or clothes,” said Valencia Bailey, program director at Good Samaritan.

Bailey said that most-needed food items at the moment are those that the organization uses to fill “weekend backpacks,” which are distributed to students at Orange County Public Schools. Those include canned chicken and tuna, peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, canned ravioli, microwavable popcorn, instant oatmeal packets, ramen noodles and cereal bars. Salt and pepper are two other items in constant demand.

The most needed personal care items include tampons and pads, body wash, bar soap, shampoo and conditioner. Regarding clothing, Bailey said that Good Samaritan is especially in need of spring and summer clothing, as well as new children’s coats of all sizes.

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

I work with Charlottesville Tomorrow to make sure that the stories we publish are clear, factual and relevant to our readers. I'm passionate about the beauty and diversity of central Virginia’s rural communities, where I've spent my entire career as a local journalist.