Reset Inc. tells council its 24/7 food pantry serves thousands; founder asks for city support

Sabrina Davis, founder and executive director of Reset Inc., told the Virginia Beach City Council that Reset operates a 24/7 outdoor food pantry with refrigeration and surveillance, youth outreach and a diaper bank partnership. Davis said Reset was founded in February 2023 and has, since then, distributed more than 380,000 pounds of food and served more than 15,000 individual impacts across Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Portsmouth.

Davis described a recent home‑delivery pilot launched June 19 with 20 deliveries to date (about half to Virginia Beach ZIP codes 23451, 23454 and 23462), an annual back‑to‑school giveaway that supplied about 150 children last year, a Thanksgiving distribution of baskets for more than 100 families and a Christmas brunch planned to serve roughly 200 children. She said Reset has no paid staff (about 25 recurring volunteers) and funds operations through grant writing, sponsors and fundraising events; she also listed partnerships with the Southeastern Virginia Food Bank, USDA programs, Hampton Roads diaper banks, Operation Warm, Toys for Tots and Sentara Health Plans.

Council members praised the presentation and suggested connecting Reset with existing city and regional resources; staff noted the regional (COG) grants were open for applications but indicated Reset might be ineligible for a particular COG grant. Davis asked for information about possible grant opportunities, logistical support for a refrigerated delivery vehicle, and outreach assistance; she said Reset would continue serving residents even without city funding.

Next steps: staff said they would provide information on grant opportunities and COG eligibility; no funding decision was made at the meeting.