Soup for Seniors

Thank You for Your Support!

 

Update February 11, 2026

Thanks to overwhelming community support over the last 10 days, Soup for Seniors was able to deliver 2,974 bags of food to needy seniors in our area! Although we fell short of our 55,000 pound food donation goal, you came through with 41,513 pounds of food donations enabling LOA to give a full bag of much-needed food staples to every senior on our list! 

Without the incredible response from our calls for additional donations and volunteers, Soup for Seniors 2026 would not have been possible. This winter presented challenges and obstacles that we were determined, with your help, to overcome! 

THANK YOU St. Peter & St. Paul Anglican Church for opening your doors to us, not just for 1 week, but for 2!

THANK YOU sponsors and donors! Your support enabled us to purchase more food for seniors, ensuring we have resources to support them for the rest of the winter! 

THANK YOU volunteers who came back day after day, even when we had to sometimes send you home early while we waited for the donations to come! 

THANK YOU community collection sites who kept the faith, continuing to encourage folks to give!  

THANK YOU Roanoke Valley for stepping up when others needed your help – we are truly blessed to be operating in such a giving community. 

THANK YOU local media outlets who continued to shine light on our struggle to meet our goals and in effect ensured our success! 

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2026 Food Collection Dates & Locations

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 2-9, 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.

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 from January 28 through February 4, 2026.

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Thanks to our collaborating 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!

For its first event in 2006, Soup for Seniors had modest goals of serving seniors who were enrolled in 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.

In 2026, 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.