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Food Drive Faces Weather Challenges, Continues Mission in Roanoke

Volunteers take action to help neighbors in need

Evan Jones,

AARP Virginia

Published February 13, 2026

A group of volunteers in a community center sorting and packing non-perishable food items, like cans and boxes

AARP

Severe winter weather threw many challenges in the way, but for the 20th year, AARP Virginia teamed up with the Local Office on Aging in February to help many older Roanoke Valley residents who may face food insecurity.

Each winter for those two decades, the Soup for Seniors food drive has brought together Roanoke-area community organizations, volunteers and neighbors to help ensure older adults have access to nutritious meals during the coldest months of the year. Volunteers from schools, banks, churches and other organizations donate, sort, pack and deliver meals to older Roanoke Valley residents in need.

This year’s drive took more effort than ever. Recent bouts of inclement weather—including snow, ice and bitter cold—threatened both donation totals and volunteer participation. Hazardous road conditions disrupted drop-off schedules and limited some supporters' ability to contribute in person, raising concerns about meeting collection goals.

But Soup for Seniors carried on, and AARP Virginia State Director Jim Dau said it was important to do so.

“We just had a huge ice and snowstorm come through, which means that a lot of folks are stuck at home. A lot of folks have a hard time putting food on the table in the first place,” Dau said.

Soup for Seniors, he said, is just one many ways AARP can make tangible differences in people’s lives.

Volunteers included Jean Elliott, a member of AARP’s New River Valley Chapter, who said after hearing of this way to help, she figured it might be an interesting experience — and it was. “Well, it was an opportunity to serve the community, but it was more than that, because it was a lot of people getting together,” said Elliott. “It was wonderful to see and be a part of.”

The food donations collected through the drive are distributed to area agencies and programs that serve older adults throughout the region, reinforcing a safety net that becomes especially critical in winter. Soup for Seniors underscores AARP’s long-standing focus on fighting hunger and supporting older adults where they live. And Dau has made it a point to join in for 10 years.

“It just feels special. It's part of something really meaningful here in the Roanoke area.

And it's just a wonderful thing to be a part of,” he said.