Governor Bob McDonnell is kicking off a challenge for businesses to collect food for the commonwealth's hungry families.
The shelves are looking bare at the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank branch in Charlottesville heading into the summer. Last year, donations flat-lined from January through April, at levels 30 times less than during the holiday giving season.
The "Governor's Bowl" food and fund drive is creating a friendly competition among Virginia's regional chambers of commerce to encourage businesses to donate.
"We run to stay in place, but we've been so fortunate the communities we work in have been so, so generous," said Larry Zippin with the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. "And now we're counting on the business community to step up."
The food bank says donations from government sources and food manufacturers are dropping as well.
Businesses can sign up online to take part in the "Governor's Bowl" by clicking here. The competition starts Memorial Day and runs through July 4.
