Donate Time, Money, or Nonperishables to These Worthy Northern Virginia Programs
As the holidays near, many take this time to think about those less fortunate. Even though Northern Virginia is one of the most affluent places in the United States, many are surprised to learn there’s a large financial divide here.
So, as you enjoy abundant holiday dinners, mounds of steaming mashed potatoes, and an array of delectable desserts, remember there are many in NOVA who are going hungry this season (and beyond). In the past, Ray Gernhart & Associates has worked with the Arlington Food Assistance Center. Here are five more programs specifically dedicated to feeding the hungry in Northern Virginia:
1. Food for Others
Fairfax County, in Northern Virginia, is one of the country’s wealthiest regions. According to the 2016 American Community Survey, which the US Census Bureau prepared, Fairfax County had the third-highest median household income in the United States, coming in at $115,717. Despite this, over seventy-five thousand people still live in poverty in this county. Hunger and food insecurity are very real issues here, and programs like Food for Others can help. Week in and week out, this organization distributes much-needed food to over 1,800 local families.
Need their assistance? Want to volunteer your time? Here’s how to get a hold of Food for Others:
Address: 2938 Prosperity Ave, Fairfax, VA 22031
Phone: 703-207-9173
Email: info@foodforothers.org
Website: www.FoodforOthers.org
2. Feeding America (Virginia Branch)
Feeding America is a national organization with a presence and partnering facilities in every state. They are a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. According to their statistics, 863,390 people struggle with hunger annually in Virginia. Of that number, 247,470 are children. Within the state, that’s approximately one in ten people experiencing food insecurity and one in eight children.
There are seven Feeding America food banks in Virginia. (Note, not all these service Northern Virginia specifically.)
-
-
- Capital Area Food Bank (Washington, DC)
- Fredericksburg Regional Foodbank (Fredericksburg, VA)
- Virginia Peninsula Foodbank (Hampton, VA)
- Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia (Norfolk, VA)
- Feed More (Richmond, VA)
- Feeding America Southwest Virginia (Salem, VA)
- Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, Inc. (Verona, VA)
-
Any of these locations are always looking for volunteers or donations. They also actively and continuously provide food to those in need. Need their assistance? Want to volunteer your time? Here’s how to get a hold of the national office of Feeding America:
Address: 35 East Wacker Drive, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 800-771-2303
Website: www.FeedingAmerica.org
3. No Kid Hungry, by Share Our Strength (Virginia Division)
Share Our Strength, a registered nonprofit, has run the national campaign known as “No Kid Hungry” since 2010. The aim is simple: to end childhood hunger. The logistics of how to get there, however, are obviously more complicated than the goal. Given that more than 14 percent of children in Virginia live in food insecure homes, there’s still a lot of work to do!
No Kid Hungry understands that a lack of food in the country isn’t the problem. It isn’t even a lack of relief programs to address childhood hunger. The underlying issue is access. How do children get to the available food? To solve this problem, No Kid Hungry partners with many state-level programs, including a school breakfast program within public schools and the Summer Food Service Program, which gets meals to needy children when school isn’t in session.
Need their assistance? Want to volunteer your time? Here’s how to get a hold of Share Our Strength:
Address: 1030 15th Street, NW Suite 1100 W Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 800-969-4767
Email: info@strength.org
Website: www.ShareOurStrength.org
4. Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) Hunger Resource Center (HRC)
Also known as Centro de Recursos para Prevenir el Hambre, HRC is an invaluable service to needy families in Prince William County, Virginia, as well as Manassas and Manassas Park. Every month, their SERVE Campus provides approximately 600 families in the area with everything from actual emergency food assistance to general nutrition information and strategies for buying and cooking healthy food on a budget.
Acknowledging that many of the families they serve routinely have to choose between putting food on the table and paying monthly bills, HRC is dedicated to providing the assistance needed to ensure these families never have to face the numerous perils and hazards of homelessness.
Need their assistance? Want to volunteer your time? Here’s how to get a hold of NVFS HRC:
Address: 10058 Dean Dr. Manassas, VA 20110
Phone: 571-748-2680 (to schedule an appointment for food assistance)
Email: info@nvfs.org
Website: www.nvfs.org/our-services/health-well-being/food-assistance/
5. Helping Hungry Kids (HHK) of Northern Virginia, by CORE Foundation Inc.
One of the biggest tragedies of food insecurity is that it disproportionately affects children. HHK addresses this by providing food packages to elementary school children over the weekend, as well as in-school snack bars. They distribute this much-needed food to approximately 425 children every week across twelve elementary schools local to the Northern Virginia area. HHK also donates over 1,200 snacks every week for in-school distribution, which significantly helps young students who would otherwise be too hungry to concentrate on learning.
Need their assistance? Want to volunteer your time? Here’s how to get a hold of HHK and their fiscal sponsor, CORE Foundation Inc.:
Address: PO Box 3631 Reston, VA 20195
Email: info@corefoundation.org
Website: www.HelpingHungryKids.org; www.COREFoundation.org
Northern Virginia is a wonderful place to live, to work, and to raise a family, and this holiday season, don’t forget to take a minute to appreciate all you have and to help out your less-fortunate neighbors.
Looking to relocate to this area? Contact us today about buying a home in NOVA!
