The City’s most up-to-date information about the potential interruption to SNAP benefits, along with resources and ways to help, are at go.rva.gov/snap. 

Looking for support? 

• The Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance (VENA) initiative explains what to know about its support for SNAP recipients. 
• Feed More's “Get Help” site shares pantry locations and additional services. 
• Help1RVA provides resources related to housing, childcare, transportation, health services, and more. 

Looking for ways to help? 

• Donate: The best way for residents to support this ongoing effort is to donate to Feed More. A $5 donation provides 20 nourishing meals to residents in need. These donations will directly support food distribution in the Richmond region the week of November 4. 
• Donate (your time): The Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond will host volunteer opportunities for residents who want to donate their time. More information and sign-up links will be available in the coming days. 
• Donate (your food): Feed More will accept donations of food. 

“The little things really count”: Prepping for cold fronts

Talk about a lightbulb moment: did you know that the type of lightbulb you use can impact your energy costs, especially in the winter?  

This is the kind of fact Duriechee Friend and Destiney Partee want every Richmonder to know. They work for the Department of Public Utilities communications and outreach team, and they educate residents about energy saving resources and ways to manage costs, especially when temperatures drop. 

“When it gets colder, the cost of heating goes up, so we want to make sure that customers have all the information they need to reduce those costs,” Destiney says.   

One of the team’s most important outreach events each year is the distribution of “weatherization kits” for seniors in our communities. These kits include a sampling of items that keep cold air from getting into a home, like weather strips and draft-stopping outlet covers. And, yes, there’s also an energy saving LED lightbulb included! 

“The kits are educational tools with a hands-on element,” Duriechee explains. “By testing out the different items in the kit, seniors and their families learn how to keep their homes warm in cost-effective ways during the winter.” 



If you are over 65 years old, there are two more opportunities to get your free kit. Both events are first-come, first-served:  

• Thursday, November 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at East District Initiative (701 North 25th Street) 
• Thursday, November 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Brookhill Azalea Shopping Center (5300 Chamberlayne Road, Suite 3) 

Richmonders of all ages can also learn more about affordability programs and PromisePay repayment plans on DPU’s Billing webpage.   

One store at a time: Plastic bag tax outreach 

On a sunny Friday, Daniel Klein walks down East Main Street with his tote bag of educational materials. The City of Richmond’s Sustainability Coordinator is planning to stop by grocery stores, pharmacies, and convenience stores to make sure that businesses are ready for the 5 cent plastic bag tax that will go into effect on January 1.  

Why a plastic bag tax? 

You’ve definitely seen single-use plastic bags on our streets and sidewalks! They also clog our stormwater drains and break down into microplastics in the James River. After heavy rains, Richmond's Department of Public Utilities regularly responds to plastic waste blockages throughout our drainage system. These issues disproportionately affect lower-income neighborhoods, so plastic bag waste is both an environmental and equity concern. 

Cities and towns around the country have had plastic bag taxes for years, and in 2020, Virginia gave localities permission to pass their own. Richmond joins 10 other cities and towns in our state with our own tax. Daniel says this history is really helpful for businesses who might be feeling anxious about implementing the tax. “You don’t have to solve this for the first time,” he explains. When he stops by stores that have locations in other cities, he encourages management to talk to their colleagues in those places.  

At one store, workers are quick to point out that the educational materials are already posted at the checkout counter, an exciting sign that a team member has beaten Daniel to this location. He’s thrilled the information is up and encourages the team to hang a few of their reusable tote bags at the checkout too, to help folks make sustainable choices when they’re bagging their purchases.  

This fall, Daniel and his colleagues have reached more than 200 businesses! They chat with workers and managers about their concerns and answer questions. Each visit is a chance to “chip away at waste,” in Daniel’s words, and to prepare our communities to work with the new tax in January. And the team is also meeting with community members and distributing reusable bags ahead of the tax.  

Now is a great time to get in the habit of bringing an extra tote or two with you when you leave the house, so you have a reusable bag ready to go for any shopping. And if you need a soundtrack to help remind you, check out the Office of Sustainability’s “Notorious B.A.G” playlist on Spotify! 

Learn more about the tax and how revenue will be used by visiting RVAgreen 2050’s Waste Reduction page.  

Don’t get “leafed” behind: Join Richmond Tree Week!  

From November 1-8, our city will be covered with urban forestry activities. Richmond Tree Week is a yearly event that, as organizers say, “celebrates Richmond’s urban forests, showcases the incredible urban greening efforts happening across our city, and reaffirms our commitment to expanding tree canopy and cooling down communities.” 

The Tree Week team—including participants from the City’s own Parks and Rec, Urban Forestry Division, Office of Sustainability, Public Library, and the James River Parks System—is hosting more than 30 events over the course of the week. Whether you’re into planting, strolling among, reading about, or even hugging tress, there’s an event for you and your loved ones.

Check out the full list of events at reforestrichmond.org, and we’ll see you out there!

“A complex web”: The world of Intergovernmental Affairs 

Ruth Morrison knows a team sport when she sees one. The mom of two has spent years as an athlete, spectator, and coach, and she brings that energy to her work as Richmond’s new Director of Intergovernmental Affairs.  

Ruth says that collaboration and team spirit are baked into Virginia’s system of government. The state legislature—the General Assembly—decides what powers localities like the City of Richmond have, and so it’s important to work closely across city, state, and federal lines to make policy that improves the lives of Richmonders.  

“It’s not just about completing a single play, it’s about winning the whole game for the city as a team. All our city’s families should have an opportunity to live a thriving life, and my job is to manage that complex web of policymaking and government to deliver results for them.”  

-Ruth Morrison, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs 

Ruth helps ensure that the city’s efforts in everything from affordable housing to education to infrastructure and public safety are oriented toward finding the win-wins with our partners. “We have a great state delegation and great federal partners,” she shares. “They are here for Richmond. Year after year, our state partners champion legislation to help get the City the tools we need to govern well, and they advocate for what our shared constituents need. They are moving the ball up the field.” 

Since starting with the City at the end of September, Ruth has been working with City officials, including City Council, to design a legislative agenda to advocate for Richmond during the General Assembly session. “This year is the first time in a long time that we will have one legislative agenda as a city. That’s important,” Ruth says. “The Mayor’s administration is working closely with Council and getting delegation feedback before we finalize the agenda, because we’ll get the best outcomes as a team.”  

Want to make an impact in this year’s General Assembly session? All 100 seats in the House of Delegates are up for election on November 4, including our three incumbents in the House from Richmond.

Learn about your polling place and who’s on your ballot by visiting the Virginia Department of Elections website.  

Poet’s Corner: Joanna Lee, Richmond Poet Laureate

Northside, Richmond 

A fat moon slings its shine low, washing the ball courts in Battery Park 

dull aluminum. From where the road cuts across 

the playground, the huge old oak they felled 

yawns to the left, its roots leaving deep scars in the clay 

like the edge of some wormhole to the underworld. 

Like maybe you could disappear there. 

Maybe, if you left the road and stepped into the shadow beyond 

the yellow caution tape, you could lose 

yourself. Maybe, 

if you let yourself shed enough of the city, 

her catcalls & gunshots & sirens, 

her past & past           & past, 

if you left her conflict buried in the cold earth 

with the sounds of the corner liquor store 

and the squeal of tires into the night, 

if you ran your palms 

over the rough withered body 

of fallen trunk and knew 

if dead trees know shame, 

you could find 

yourself again. 

Would you come back 

to her? 

A note from Joanna: I shared this poem at the Mayoral Action Plan launch event last week; the opening images give homage to the neighborhood where I live (go, Northside!) and lament a majestic old tree that was removed from Battery Park after a storm a few years back. The poem weaves, though, to touch on Richmond’s history and some of the problems that still remain today, while still ending (I hope!) in hope. 

What’s your Richmond story? From what neighborhood do you hail? What do you lament? What do you hope for? We’d love to hear it and possibly share it in a future newsletter! Deadline for submissions is November 16 at midnight. (In case you missed it last month, we’ve copied the guidelines below.) 

Guidelines for submission:   

 

• Any resident or full-time student living in the City of Richmond is welcome to send work. 
• Your work can be in any genre (poetry, fiction, essay, for example) but should be NO longer than ONE page in length using a 12-pt. standard font (Times New Roman, Garamond, etc.).  
• All work should be original and should not have been previously published. No AI-generated pieces will be considered.  
•  Send your submission as an email attachment to askosc@rva.gov with “Newsletter Submission” in the subject line. The attachment should be in the form of .doc, .docx, or .pdf 
•  Please send only ONE submission per email. If you wish to submit multiple pieces, please send separate emails for each submission.  
•  In the body of the email, please include a short statement about yourself and your connection to Richmond. 
•  Deadline to submit is midnight, November 16, 2025. 

The Month in Photos 

From left to right and top to bottom: 



• Mayor Danny Avula visits the 2nd St Festival. 
• CoR Employee honors Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 
• City leaders, institutional partners, and community stakeholders gathered to commemorate a pivotal agreement between Virginia Commonwealth University and the Richmond Flying Squirrels at CarMax Park. 
• City Hall illuminated pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 
• Mayor Danny Avula meets with Taskforce Francine and the staff at Lowe’s to thank them for Francine the Lowe’s Cat’s safe return home. 
• Mayor Danny Avula chose to vote early! 
• Members of the Richmond Police Department, Fire Department, and Mayor Danny Avula read to Preschoolers for National First Responders Day. 
• The RVA Salsa Guy guiding a crowd during the last Lunch on the Block for year in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. 
• CAO Odie Donald II addresses the crowd at the MAP launch event at City Hall. 
• Mayor Danny Avula speaks to Virginia Union University students visiting City Hall. 
• CAO Odie Donald II and his team celebrate his first 100 days. 
• Mayor Danny Avula and his team wear pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 
• Mayor Danny Avula and City Leaders join the LiUNA graduation. 
• CoR Employee honors Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

Follow us here!