Soup for Seniors

Celebrating 20 Years of Soup for Seniors: 2006 – 2026

Give a senior a hot meal on a cold day.

Thousands of seniors in our community live at or below the poverty line. Help provide a hot meal on a cold day and remind seniors in need they have not been forgotten.

LOA’s annual canned food drive will be held January 28-February 4, 2026. Again for 2026, St. Peter and St. Paul Anglican Church will graciously serve as main collection site for this community-wide event. Along with our partner AARP Virginia, our Flagship Sponsor P1 Technologies, Gold Sponsor Trinkle & Associates, Inc., Silver Sponsor the Salem Host Lions Club and Media Sponsor WFJX Fox Radio, plus hundreds of volunteers, LOA Soup for Seniors will provide important nutrition to seniors most in need in our community during the harshest part of winter.

Collect food during the month of January, then deliver it to one of our community drop-off sites between January 28 and February 4, 2026 or to the main collection site February 2 – 4, 2026.

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2026 Food Collection Dates & Locations

Ways to Help

Hold a Food Drive

Team up with your church, business, school, or other group for your own canned food drive during January. Then deliver your collected food to one of our drop-off sites between January 28-February 4, or to our main collection site, St. Peter and St. Paul Anglican Church, on February 2-4, between 9 AM – 4 PM. If you have any questions, please contact Aimee Lawson at LOA: (540) 345-0451 or alawson@loaa.org.

Volunteer

It takes hundreds of Soup for Seniors volunteers to organize and inspect the donated food, pack an array of items in reusable cloth bags (donated by AARP Virginia), and deliver the bags to our older neighbors in need. (Volunteer Sign-up link will be posted here in late Fall of 2025.)

If you have questions about this and other volunteer opportunities, please contact Laura Anderson at (540) 345-0451 ext. 3055 or landerson@loaa.org.

Give a Monetary Donation

Donate to Soup for Seniors and the funds will be used to purchase food items to off-set any shortfall in food collection. All food and monies collected will be used to give nutritional support to seniors right here in our area!

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What is Needed Most

No glass containers; please check expiration dates. Low-salt, nutritious items are preferred.

Community Drop-Off Sites

Bring food donations to any of these convenient drop-off sites between January 28 – February 4, 2026

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Thanks to our partner

Thanks to our Flagship Sponsor

Thanks to our Gold Sponsor

Thanks to our Silver Sponsor

Thanks to our Media Sponsor

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20th Anniversary of Soup for Seniors!

Begun in 2006, Soup for Seniors had modest goals of serving seniors part of LOA’s Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion programs. The community fully embraced the project, and so much soup and crackers were donated, LOA was able to serve all our program participants, other needy seniors in our community, and even more in neighboring communities.

In 2012, LOA took on the project as an agency-wide service and joined forces with AARP Virginia. Collection and distribution were moved to early February to serve the senior population in the most vulnerable part of winter.

Our goal is to collect 50,000 pounds of soup and other non-perishable items to provide bags of food for 3,000 older adults in need right here in our community. At the top of our list of who to serve are LOA’s homebound Meals on Wheels recipients. Other recipients include: LOA’s Diners Club participants; older adults receiving LOA’s transportation, case management, and in-home care services; more than 1,500 residents of low-income, independent senior housing; and seniors who receive assistance from area Departments of Social Services and other agencies.