CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — As many area families struggle with food insecurity amidst increased federal immigration enforcement and cuts to federal support programs like SNAP, local organizations have banded together to help raise money to support them.

Five local nonprofits and community groups — Sin Barreras, Keep Going Together, Indivisible Charlottesville, Central Virginia Community Support Fund, and the Legal Aid Justice Center — have formed a coalition called the Grocery Card Campaign (GCC).

Since launching in May, the coalition has raised over $28,000 toward its $45,000 goal to combat food insecurity among the immigrant population. The money is used to purchase gift cards from local groceries, which are then distributed to needy families.

“That has all gone directly into the hands of the people who need it the most,” Susan McCulley, a member of Keep Going Together’s leadership team, said Monday during an online community forum.

Representatives from the campaign, as well as community advocates, shared more about their effort during Monday’s forum. The online event focused not only on the drive itself, but on the current impact of food insecurity on the immigrant community.

English as a Second Language teacher Tina Vasquez, who first began giving out grocery cards in the fall before helping organize the coalition, shared how many of her students have needed to work overnight to support their families and have asked for food more frequently.

“If a child is hungry, he or she can’t concentrate, can’t thrive,” she said.

Although the food pantry is not directly involved in the coalition, Loaves & Fishes Community Engagement Coordinator Paola Covarrubias was a panelist at the forum and said they have seen many immigrant families visit the pantry.

Roughly 20-25% of the total families served at Loaves & Fishes Latino and another large portion are refugees, with most being from Afghanistan. Although for many, accessing the pantry isn’t always easy

“For many of them, coming to a food pantry is something they’ve never experienced before,” Covarrubias said. “They’re learning a new language, navigating unfamiliar systems and trying to find work, while also trying to support their families.”

Advocates in the forum also said while they’ve noticed more immigrants are facing food insecurity recently, many are scared to seek help, and are often hesitant to give away any personal information.

Sin Barreras Executive Director Javier Raudales said he had hear plenty of stories of people trying to access resources but who are afraid to give away any information.

“Once you start hearing that word about if information is going to be shared or if you qualified or not, that already kind of always brings down that interaction,” he said.

Because of this, the drive was designed to have little to no barriers, with each organization working to identify and connect directly with immigrant families in need while also catering to their specific needs.

While the coalition is keeping track of how many cards they are giving out to avoid redundancy, they are not keeping track of any other identifying data.

“That is something that we consciously decided was important for this campaign,” Vasquez said.

The goal for the campaign is currently set at $45,000. The organizers said that figure will get the coalition through the summer, but the ultimate hope to turn the project into an ongoing effort.