Virginia Restaurants Launch 'Pay What You Can' Week
Restaurants across Virginia are participating in a "Pay What You Can" week to increase food accessibility. The initiative offers free or reduced-price meals to community members. The effort is a collaboration aimed at providing support and addressing food insecurity.
- The "Pay What You Can" week is an expansion of a similar three-day event held the previous year, which was organized by Samuel Veney, the co-owner of Philly Vegan in Richmond. This year, the event has grown to include nearly twice as many restaurants, expanding from Richmond to the Hampton Roads area. - The initiative is intentionally held during Black History Month to honor the legacy of Black ancestors by coming together as a community to provide support. Many of the participating restaurants are Black-owned businesses. - For some participating restaurants, like Philly Vegan, the "pay what you can" model is not a new concept. The restaurant has been offering a "pay what you can" day at least once a month since March of 2020 and has also extended this offering during crises like the government shutdown and local water crises. - In the first three months of their regular "pay what you can" days, Philly Vegan reported feeding over a thousand people for free. Patrons who can afford to are encouraged to "pay it forward" by contributing more for their meal to cover the cost for others. - Food insecurity, which this initiative aims to address, has been linked to adverse birth outcomes in Virginia. A Virginia Department of Health study found that localities with higher rates of food insecurity also had higher odds of low birthweight, preterm births, and small-for-gestational-age infants. - Virginia offers several food assistance programs that can be vital for maternal and child health, including WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). The Virginia Department of Health specifically highlights the importance of access to nutritious food during and after pregnancy to improve health outcomes. - While the "pay what you can" model can be challenging to sustain, with some initiatives like Panera Cares eventually closing, there are long-running successful examples. For instance, SAME Café in Denver has been operating on this model for over a decade. - Community members can support the "Pay What You Can" week by dining at the participating restaurants and paying what they can, with those who are able encouraged to pay more than the suggested price to help offset the costs of meals for those in need. Spreading the word on social media is also encouraged to increase participation and support.
