Drive Out Hunger: The 66 Express Teams Up With Local Nonprofits To Put the Hunger Crisis in Reverse
Around the DMV region and across the Commonwealth of Virginia, too many families face the prospect of not having enough to eat.
Hunger in the Greater Washington region is getting worse. The Capital Area Food Bank’s 2026 Hunger Report found that food insecurity among local families is at a five-year high, higher even than at the peak of the pandemic. More than a third of households in the region went without enough to eat at some point in the past year.
Northern Virginia has been hit especially hard. In Prince William County, nearly half of all families struggled to put food on the table this year. Across the state, food pantries are seeing lines stretch around the block as parents look for ways to feed their kids.
Our schools see the effects every day. Fairfax County has more students relying on free or reduced-price lunch than any other district in Virginia, over 64,000 of them. In Prince William County, it’s more than half the student body, and in Manassas and Manassas Park, it’s close to four out of five students.
Behind those figures are kids trying to focus in class on an empty stomach and parents choosing between groceries and rent. The need is growing, and it won’t ease on its own.
That’s why we’re asking 66 Express customers to help Drive Out Hunger. For one weekend, a portion of every toll will go directly to local food banks, so simply taking your usual drive helps feed kids right here in our region.
SUB: Powerful Partners in the Quest to Drive Out Hunger
Working with some dedicated community partners serving the Northern Virginia region – including Food For Others, Haymarket Regional Food Pantry, Northern Virginia Family Service’s Hunger Resource Center, and the Prince William County Community Foundation’s CHOW Wagon program – I-66 Express Mobility Partners (I-66 EMP) (the operator of the 66 Express Outside the Beltway) is committed to reversing this trend through its Drive Out Hunger campaign. Launched in 2025, Drive Out Hunger raised more than $40,000 for those local food banks in just two days last November.
With the need continuing to grow, I-66 EMP plans to increase its contribution when Drive Out Hunger returns November 14 -15, helping its partners reach more families facing food insecurity. Customers can help simply by driving the 66 Express Outside the Beltway that weekend, when a portion of every toll will support these local organizations.
“We were delighted by the incredible response to our Drive Out Hunger campaign last year, and we anticipate more of the same this year,” said Nancy H. Smith, corporate affairs director for I-66 EMP. “The need to combat food insecurity in Northern Virginia has never been greater, so we’re pleased to partner with some amazing organizations who work diligently every day to put healthy food on tables across this region.”
Fighting food insecurity has always been one of the pillars of the roadway operator’s community outreach, along with providing clothing for kids in need, beautifying local parks, promoting safe driving, assisting our nation’s veteran heroes, and advancing STEM education.
But it’s the local food banks that represent some of I-66 EMP’s most enduring and impactful partnerships. The operator makes regular contributions to all four partners focused on combatting food insecurity, including providing an industrial-size refrigerator to Food For Others in addition to multiple food drives and volunteering in kind hours to pack thousands of meals to be distributed to families across the region.
The roadway operator is open to partnering with additional food-providing organizations serving the Northern Virginia region. Contact us at media@i66emp.com to inquire about partnership.
I-66 EMP admires and appreciates the relentless work of Food For Others, the Haymarket Regional Food Pantry, Northern Virginia Family Service, and the Prince William County Community Foundation, and thanks all the drivers whose choice to take the 66 Express Outside the Beltway during our Drive Out Hunger campaign benefits so many local families.
These community partnerships demonstrate that the true value of a locally headquartered, locally focused infrastructure company lies not just in what they build, but in the people they help. I-66 EMP believes in strengthening ties with communities, helping people thrive, and improving the quality of life throughout the region they serve.
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