CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- The Chesterfield Food Bank distributed meals to hundreds of families Friday.
Drone video showed the line stretched for mile down Iron Bridge Road at one point in the evening.
Volunteers had their own masks and gloves for the event.
During the COVID-19 crisis, food is distributed every Friday starting at 3 p.m. in the food bank's parking lot.
The food bank hopes to help as many people as they can and always needs volunteers.
"We are currently restricting volunteers to people 16+ who are in very good health," officials wrote. "If you have been recently sick, feel “off”, or are considered immunocompromised, please know that it is with your best interests that we humbly request you avoid volunteering for the time being."
Click here to learn more about volunteer opportunitiesor to make a donation
Pandemic provokes spike in demand for food pantries in US
The coronavirus pandemic has provoked a spike in demand for food pantries in the U.S.
Providers have seen people lining up hours before pantries open, with cars stretching sometimes for miles.
But while demand is up as much as 60% in some places, food donations have declined significantly.
Katie Fitzgerald is chief operating officer of Feeding America, a nationwide association of food banks and pantries.
She says the simultaneous increase in need and decline in donations has created a “perfect storm.”