Fresh sweet potatoes and asparagus at the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank in Verona wait to be given to needy families and residents. In 2007, fresh produce made up 4 percent of the food given to clients. By the end of 2012, that number had jumped to 15 percent. (Photos by Nikki Fox)
Stone Fisher, a warehouse assistant at the Valley agency, loads a pallet of food earlier this month for a delivery.