Volunteers at the McLean Governmental Center collected food donations Saturday, Sept. 19, for LINK and SHARE of McLean as a new report shows more than one in four Fairfax County residents cannot reliably put food on the table.

The Capital Area Food Bank's 2026 Hunger Report, released Sept. 15, found that 27% of Fairfax County residents are food insecure, up from the prior year. One in five children in the county lives in a food insecure household. The findings land in one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, where the cost of living continues to outpace wages, according to a Fairfax County government summary of the report.

Average weekly earnings in the Washington region have risen 18% since 2019, the report found. Consumer prices climbed 28% over the same period. Households are draining savings, making minimum credit card payments and skipping healthcare to cover groceries, according to the county's summary.

The squeeze extends across the region. Food insecurity in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area reached a five-year high of 38%, the worst since the Capital Area Food Bank began its general population study in 2022. About 34% of children regionwide, roughly 350,000, live in food insecure homes.

Projected federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) under H.R. 1 total $187 billion over 10 years, and the full effect has not yet been felt, the county said. Radha Muthiah, president and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank, told WTOP that roughly 50,000 households across the region could lose SNAP benefits over the next two years, losing about 40 meals per month in support.

"For the first time since 2022, fewer than half report high confidence in their ability to get the food that they need," Muthiah told WTOP.

SNAP enrollment in Virginia has already fallen 14.6%, the report found. The Capital Area Food Bank said it is preparing to distribute 70 million meals in 2026, 10 million more than the year before.

The Sept. 19 Stuff the Bus drive at the McLean Governmental Center, 1437 Balls Hill Road, was one of several collection sites across Fairfax County. The event, a partnership between the county and local nonprofits, stocked shelves at area food pantries. Since 2015, Stuff the Bus events have collected more than 511,000 pounds of food and nearly $63,000 in monetary donations countywide, according to FFXnow.

Residents who need food assistance can call Coordinated Services Planning at 703-222-0880 or visit the county's Emergency Food Access Map online. Applications for SNAP are available through Fairfax County Family Services, and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits through the county Health Department. Fairfax County Public Schools offers free and reduced-cost meals at select schools. Fairfax Area Meals on Wheels provides home-delivered meals.

The Fairfax Food Council, part of the Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax, is accepting new members to work on food access. The next Stuff the Bus collection date has not been announced.