AFAC’s Blog

Client Count Week ending: Families* Adults Children % increase
September 5 1202 2112 1319 -
1 year ago 785 1362 845 53%
2 years ago 706 1194 619 70%

*The family count consists of Adults and Children.

I’d like to give a special ‘thank you’ to the volunteers who came to AFAC to help this afternoon. September 11th is a special day in our country’s history, and is now designated as a Special Day of Service and Remembrance. Volunteers came from Greater DC Cares and AARP to give their time to help us today. Enid Kassner offered a free yoga class to our supporters and volunteers today. These efforts are a great testament to the spirit of caring so evident in Arlington and are a great tribute to those people who lost their lives on this day in 2001.

See below for more upcoming activities for Hunger Action Month.

Upcoming Hunger Action Month Events

Friday, September 11th — Food Drives: Numerous people have already dropped off food donations in honor of September 11th. You can drop off your food donations today until 6:30 p.m. or on Saturday, Sept 12th from noon until 5 p.m.

Wednesday, September 16th — Shopping Day: Crate & Barrel 5% Shopping Day. 5% of all sales on this day, including gift cards, at the Crate & Barrel in Clarendon will be given to AFAC. Crate & Barrel is located in the Market Common, 2800 Clarendon Boulevard and is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday, September 19th, 10am-1pm — Shred For Cereal: Fall cleaning for your financial and other personal papers for AFAC! ProShred, a professional shredding company, is generously donating shredding services at the Arlington Church of the Brethren, 300 N Montague Street. “Pay” for your shredding with a cereal donation to AFAC.

There are more Hunger Action Month events at the bottom of this email. If you have an event you would like to add to the Hunger Action Month calendar, please email Christine Lucas at afacchristine@aol.com.

Volunteer Opportunities

Come Glean with AFAC — Join AFAC as we go glean fields with the Mid-Atlantic Gleaning Network in Cheltenham, MD and at the Experimental Station at USDA in Beltsville, MD on Saturday, September 26th. We’ll be in the fields from 8am – noon picking summer squash, potatoes, eggplants, tomatillos and hot peppers. We won’t be providing transportation but will try to arrange carpooling. If you have a vehicle that can transport either people or produce, let us know. Children, families and groups are welcome to help at this event. If you can glean, contact Puwen Lee at afacpuwen@aol.com.

Leafleting — Going door to door passing out flyers is a great way to enjoy the fall weather. And it helps AFAC spread the word about its mission and the upcoming Hunger Action Month events. The weekend of Sept. 26, we need volunteers to leaflet the Columbia Pike neighborhood near Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse.
Food Drive Deliveries — The movie night at Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse includes a food drive for AFAC. We need people to collect the food and deliver it to AFAC on Tuesday evening, September 29.

Please email the Volunteer Department at volunteer4afac@aol.com if you can help with any of the projects above.
More Hunger Action Month Events

Restaurant Week — Enjoy these Arlington restaurants and support AFAC at the same time:
Tuesday, September 22nd — Pie-Tanza Restaurant Night, 2503 N. Harrison Street.
Wednesday, September 23rd — Sushi-Zen Restaurant Night, 2457 N. Harrison Street.
Thursday, September 24th — Chevy’s Night for AFAC, Ballston Mall.
Tour AFAC — Have you been an AFAC supporter but haven’t been to our facility yet? Have you been interested in volunteering but haven’t gotten started? AFAC is hosting two tours in September – Thursday, September 24th, 9:30 am, and Wednesday, September 30th, 6:30 pm. On the half-hour tour, you will learn more about what AFAC does, who we serve, what we serve and the many ways you can volunteer at AFAC.

To register for the Thurs, Sept. 24, 9:30am tour, go to http://afac-tour-sept24.eventbrite.com
To register for the Wed, Sept 30, 6;30pm tour, go to http://afac-tour-sept30.eventbrite.com
Saturday, September 26th — AFAC Goes Glean: Join AFAC as we go to glean fields with the Mid-Atlantic Gleaning Network and at Beltsville Experimental Station this morning. If you can help, contact Puwen Lee at afacpuwen@aol.com.

Tuesday, September 29th — Movie Night at Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse: Come to the Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse, 2903 Columbia Pike, for a $2 movie (the movie will be announced shortly). Bring a bag of food for AFAC and you’ll receive a coupon for a discount on your next movie at Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse.

Thank you

Thank you for all you do for AFAC. We need and appreciate your support.
Christine

Christine Lucas
AFAC Executive Director
703.845.8486
afacchristine@aol.com

Client Count Week ending: Families* Adults Children % increase
August 29 1141 2110 1353 -
1 year ago 879 1502 895 17%
2 years ago 700 1155 622 63%

*The family count consists of Adults and Children.

We are now in Hunger Action Month, and I hope you will support some of the activities you’ll find below. I’d particularly ask that you consider sponsoring a food drive next week and bringing the food to AFAC on September 11th. You’ll find on our website a downloadable flyer that you can use to get donations. September 11th has been dedicated as a Special Day of Service and Remembrance, and a food drive is a great way to serve our community. Many of us remember the events of that day, and how we here in Arlington were affected that day and in the weeks following. This anniversary is important to remember, and we can help make the legacy of that day be one of service.

In the meantime, have wonderful Labor Day weekend. AFAC will be closed on Monday.

Upcoming Hunger Action Month Events

Friday, September 11th — Food Drives: It’s not too late to organize a food drive for September 11th, designated a Special Day of Service and Remembrance. You can drop off your food donations on September 11th from 9:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. or September 12th from noon until 5 p.m.

Friday, September 11th — Relaxation and Yoga Class: As a thank you to AFAC supporters and volunteers, Enid Kassner is offering a free Relaxation and Yoga Class on Friday, Sept 11th from 1:30 – 3 pm at Sun & Moon Studio, 3811 Lee Highway. No previous yoga experience necessary. Wear loose, comfortable clothes.

Wednesday, September 16th — Shopping Day: Crate & Barrel 5% Shopping Day. 5% of all sales on this day, including gift cards, at the Crate & Barrel in Clarendon will be given to AFAC. This is the third year that C&B has generously extended this opportunity to AFAC. Crate & Barrel is located in the Market Common, 2800 Clarendon Boulevard and is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday, September 19th, 10am-1pm — Shred For Cereal: Fall cleaning for your financial and other personal papers for AFAC! ProShred, a professional shredding company, is generously donating shredding services at the Arlington Church of the Brethren; 300 N Montague Street. “Pay” for your shredding with a cereal donation to AFAC. We need volunteers to collect & deliver the cereal donations to AFAC that day. Please email Laura Jackson at afaclaura@aol.com if you can help.

There are more Hunger Action Month events at the bottom of this email. If you have an event you would like to add to the Hunger Action Month calendar, please email Christine Lucas at afacchristine@aol.com.
Volunteer Opportunities

Leafletting — Going door to door passing out flyers is a great way to enjoy the fall weather. And it helps AFAC spread the word about its mission and the upcoming Hunger Action Month events.
The week before Sept. 26, we’d like to leaflet the neighborhood near Our Savior Lutheran Church, 825 S. Taylor Street.
The weekend of Sept. 26, we want to leaflet the Columbia Pike neighborhood near Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse.
Food Drive Deliveries — Two of our Hunger Action Month events include food drives for AFAC. We need people to collect the food and deliver it to AFAC on Saturday morning, September 19 and Tuesday evening, September 29.

Please email the Volunteer Department at volunteer4afac@aol.com if you can help with any of the projects above.

More Hunger Action Month Events

Tuesday, September 22nd — Pie-Tanza Restaurant Night: Karen and Ed at Pie-Tanza in the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center, 2503 B N. Harrison Street, are supporting AFAC again this year with a Restaurant Night. Treat yourself and your family to their delicious pizza and Italian cuisine, and support AFAC at the same time!

Wednesday, September 23rd — Sushi-Zen Restaurant Night – Rosie and the staff at Sushi-Zen will help you dine and contribute to AFAC at the same time. Sushi-Zen offers a relaxed family environment, and the sushi bar provides a variety of Japanese delicacies made fresh to order. Sushi-Zen is located at 2457 N. Harrison Street.

Thursday, September 24th — Chevy’s Night for AFAC: Chevy’s at Ballston Common Mall will give AFAC 15% of your total bill for the evening, 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Be sure to mention that you are there for AFAC.

Saturday, September 26th — AFAC Goes Glean: Join AFAC as we go to glean fields with the Mid-Atlantic Gleaning Network and at Beltsville Experimental Station this morning. If you can help, contact Puwen Lee at afacpuwen@aol.com

Tuesday, September 29th — Movie Night at Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse: Come to the Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse, 2903 Columbia Pike, for a $2 movie (the movie will be announced shortly). Bring a bag of food for AFAC and you’ll receive a coupon for a discount on your next movie at Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse.

Thank you

Thank you for all you do for AFAC. We need and appreciate your support.
Christine

Christine Lucas
AFAC Executive Director
703.845.8486
afacchristine@aol.com

Hello. Here are the latest statistics on AFAC’s growing client count.

Client Count Week ending: Families* Adults Children % increase
August 22 1208 2310 1359 -
1 year ago 807 1347 872 50%
2 years ago 657 1114 639 83%

*The family count consists of Adults and Children.

1 in 8. That’s the number of Americans who will struggle with hunger today. This September marks the 2nd Annual Hunger Action Month, a nationwide effort to raise awareness for the fight against hunger. We used to think of hunger as a problem in far away places, but even here in Arlington, so many families struggle to get enough food. Below you will find some ways to support Hunger Action Month and AFAC. I look forward to seeing you at one of our events!

September is Hunger Action Month

Friday, September 11th — Food Drives: September 11th has been designated a Special Day of Remembrance and Service. Please consider having a food drive for AFAC this week. You can drop off your food donations on September 11th from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. or September 12th from noon until 5 p.m. For information on how to have a food drive, please click here. We also need volunteers to work on the loading dock on Sept. 11th & 12th and to help us publicize the food drives by leafleting Arlington neighborhoods. Please email Laura Jackson at afaclaura@aol.com if you can help.

Friday, September 11th — Relaxation and Yoga Class: Enid Kassner is offering a free Relaxation and Yoga Class to all AFAC volunteers and supporters on Friday, Sept 11th from 1:30 – 3 pm at Sun & Moon Studio, 3811 Lee Highway. No previous yoga experience necessary.

Wednesday, September 16th — Shopping Day: Crate & Barrel 5% Shopping Day. 5% of all sales on this day at the Crate & Barrel in Clarendon will be given to AFAC. This is the third year that C&B has generously extended this opportunity to AFAC. Crate & Barrel is located in the Market Common, 2800 Clarendon Boulevard and is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday, September 19th — Shred For Bread: Fall cleaning for your financial and other personal papers for AFAC! ProShred, a professional shredding company, is generously donating shredding services at the Arlington Church of the Brethren; 300 N Montague Street. “Pay” for your shredding with a cereal donation to AFAC.

Tuesday, September 22nd — Pie-Tanza Restaurant Night: Karen and Ed at Pie-Tanza in the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center, 2503 B N. Harrison Street, are supporting AFAC again this year with a Restaurant Night. Treat yourself and your family to their delicious pizza and Italian cuisine, and support AFAC at the same time!

Wednesday, September 23rd — Sushi-Zen Restaurant Night – Rosie and the staff at Sushi-Zen will help you dine and contribute to AFAC at the same time. Sushi-Zen offers a relaxed family environment, and the sushi bar provides a variety of Japanese delicacies made fresh to order. Sushi-Zen is located at 2457 N. Harrison Street.

Saturday, September 26th — AFAC goes glean: Join a team of AFAC volunteers to glean fresh vegetables for the families who turn to us for food. If you can help, contact Puwen Lee at afacpuwen@aol.com

Tuesday, September 29th — Movie Night at Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse: Come to the Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse, 2903 Columbia Pike, for a $2 movie (the movie will be announced shortly). Bring a bag of food for AFAC and you’ll receive a coupon for a discount on your next movie at Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse.

If you have an event you would like to add to the Hunger Action Month calendar, please email Christine Lucas at afacchristine@aol.com.
Volunteer Opportunities

9/11 Food Drives — We’re looking for volunteers to leaflet neighborhoods with flyers about the 9/11 food drives and other hunger action month events over the next two weeks, to serve as neighborhood food drive captains, and to help on the loading dock on 9/11 from 4-6 pm and on 9/12 from noon-5 pm. Please email Laura Jackson at afaclaura@aol.com if you can help.

Weekend morning drivers needed — Several grocery stores are willing to donate food to AFAC. We need drivers to pick up the donations between 7 – 9 am. You can drive your own minivan, truck or SUV or drive one of AFAC’s vans. See our website for more specific information or contact Puwen Lee, Volunteer Coordinator, at afacpuwen@aol.com .

Evening and weekends supervisors — Are you a long-term or new volunteer looking to get more involved at AFAC? We are looking for evening and weekend supervisors. Supervisors are responsible for opening and closing the building for volunteer groups, welcoming the volunteers and supervising the activities. Supervisors are teamed with Coordinators who recruit the volunteers and help manage the activities. Email Laura Jackson in the volunteer department at afaclaura@aol.com if you’d like to learn more.

Gardener? Have extra vegetables or fruits in your garden? Bring your extra harvests to AFAC. Is your neighbor going out of town & leaving their garden untended? Ask if you can harvest their crops for us. Consider putting in a fall garden for AFAC. There is still time to plant lettuce, peas, summer squash, carrots, cucumbers and beans. Contact Puwen Lee at afacpuwen@aol.com for more information.

Thank you
Lake Valley Seeds. Thank you to Jan Hull of Lake Valley Seeds for the donation of several bagfuls of vegetable and flower seeds to AFAC’s Plant a Row for the Hungry program. These seeds will be distributed to both AFAC clients and to area gardeners who pledge to “plant an extra row for AFAC”.

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church: A big thank you to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church for fielding gleaning teams that brought back 100’s of pounds of fresh produce to AFAC this summer. St. Mary’s made arrangements to glean with MAGNET (the Mid-Atlantic Gleaning Network) every Saturday in July and August. Fresh corn! cucumbers! collards!

Thank you for all you do for AFAC. We need and appreciate your support.
Christine

Christine Lucas
AFAC Executive Director
703.845.8486
afacchristine@aol.com

June 26, 2009

Hello, all.

Here’s the latest from AFAC.

Client Count: Last week we served1,119 families. These consist of 2,037 adults and 1,190 children. The count edged up again. The two previous weeks averaged just 1,097.

Corporate Support: Our volunteer, Sarah, has identified the following companies as donors to places where their employees volunteer. If you work at one of these companies or another company like them, please contact me about the possibility of getting corporate support for AFAC. Companies who might support AFAC: Choice Hotels, Northrup Grumman, SRA, and Argon.

Plant A Row: I’ll have tomatoes soon in my garden. How about you? Don’t forget to bring your extra produce to AFAC. The families who turn to us want and need more produce. You can help. And check out the PAR website. To see it, just click through the AFAC website, www.afac.org.

Schedule: Next Tuesday, June 30th, is the last day of our fiscal year. We’ll be taking inventory after distribution that day. As of the end of May, we (really you!) had already distributed over 2 million pounds of food to Arlington families. The office will be closed next Friday, July 3rd, but we will have distribution that day. There will be no distribution on Saturday, July 4th, either at our main site or at the Clarendon United Methodist Church.

Wine! – Thanks to all the volunteers who have helped this month at the wine tastings/jazz concerts at the Village at Shirlington. Big crowds will mean big support for AFAC.

Food Drives – Don’t forget to help keep our shelves stocked over the summer. If you can help with a food drive, please contact Magda Jaskot, our food drive coordinator, at afacMagda@aol.com.

Thanks for all you do for AFAC. We need and appreciate your support.

Christine

Hello, all.

Here’s the latest from AFAC.

Client Count – The client count for the week ending June 13, 2009 totals 1,106 families, which consist of 2,040 adults and 1,226 children. There are currently 2,385 active referrals. One year ago, the client count was 865. Two years ago, the client count was 669. This means that our client load is up 65% in two years and up 28% in one year.

Run for AFAC – Thanks to all the runners and volunteers who helped on May 30th. The race generated $1,000 for AFAC. Soon we’ll be planning another race. Please let me know if you would be interested in helping. Thanks to Grace and Amy for their fine work on this event.

Jazz Series and Wine Tasting – The Village at Shirlington’s jazz series raps up next Wednesday, the 24th. This has turned out to be a very successful and fun series for AFAC. Since the event is far larger than predicted, we could use even more volunteers to staff the bar. We need six volunteers at each shift – 6 until 7:30 or 7:30 until 9. Volunteers will have time to enjoy the event (free wine tasting tickets!) before or after their shift. Please go to http://afacinfo.org/Volunteering-general.htm to register to volunteer.

Antiques & Modernism Show and Sale – The Arlington Kiwanis presents the 2009 Northern Virginia Antiques & Modernism Show and Sale this weekend at the Thomas Jefferson Center. There will be 175 exhibitors from 15 states. The show is Saturday, June 20th, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Sunday, June 21st, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. The Arlington Kiwanis is a great supporter of AFAC. Tickets are $8.00 at the door.

Summer Food Drives – Help us keep our pantry stocked over the summer. If you can help coordinate a food drive, please contact Magda Jaskot, our Food Drive Coordinator, at afacMagda@aol.com.

New Volunteer Opportunities – AFAC has several new volunteer opportunities. Produce Handlers are needed to unload, repackage and store the beautiful produce donated from local farmers markets as it comes in. Volunteers are needed on Saturday from 12 – 2 and Sunday from 1 – 3. We are still recruiting Weekend Supervisors to supervise and assist the many groups that want to volunteer at AFAC. Drivers are needed to pick up donations from Best Buns on weekday mornings and from Great Harvest Bread Company on Tuesday and Saturday mornings at 8 am. If you can help with any of these projects, please contact the volunteer department at volunteer4afac@aol.com. If you want to learn about other volunteer opportunities, see our newly updated website pages at http://afacinfo.org/Volunteering-new.html.

Produce storage advisor/trainer -
Do you have experience storing produce in a way that reduces spoilage? Or do you know anyone who has experience? AFAC would like to reduce spoilage of fresh fruits and vegetables that come from the farmers’ ma
rkets over the summer months. We would love to have an expert to come train a farmer’s market receiving team about best large-scale storage methods for the thousands of pounds of produce that are donated to AFAC. Please contact Puwen at afacpuwen@aol.com.

Volunteer Picnic – Thanks to all that helped put on our recent volunteer picnic. I especially want to thank the crew from Restoration Anglican Church, Catherine Smith and her family, and Cleveland James for their help at the picnic. These folks did it all – helping with decorations, set up, food, music…and probably more that I didn’t even know about.

Kids Count – I’m begining to prepare a report on how Arlington children are helping AFAC, and thus helping other Arlington children. We have lots of young volunteers and donors. Help me make sure all are counted by letting me know how your youngster helped this year at AFAC. And look for a report by the end of the summer.

Coming Up Soon – September is Hunger Action Month – We are looking for ways to participate in this national effort to fight hunger. This is the expansion of what used to be Hunger Awareness Day. If your organization would like to participate, please let me know. Right now, Crate & Barrel has said they will particpate by having a 5% day for us, and some of the restaurants who participated in our Restaurant Night will help again this year.

Thank you for all you do for AFAC. We need and appreciate your support!

Have a great weekend.

Christine

Hello!

Client Count: The client count for the week ending May 23, 2009 totals 1,136 families, which consist of 2,048 adults and 1,284 children. There are currently 2,407 active referrals. One year ago, the client count was 926. Two years ago, the client count was 665. This means that we are up 23% from one year ago, and we are up 73% from two years ago.

You can help AFAC tomorrow in two ways!

Run for AFAC – This 5k walk/run will be held tomorrow, Saturday, May 30, 2009. The run will be at Bluemont Junction at 601 N. Manchester St. The run is being sponsored by two students from Yorktown High School. Registration starts at 9:00 a.m, and the run starts at 10:00 a.m. The young ladies putting this event together for us have gotten some excellent raffle items. To register before the day, send an email with your name, email address and phone number to run4afac@aol.com. Five volunteers are needed the day of the run. The cost of the race is $15 for students and $25 for adults.

Arlington Area Zonta Club Food Collection – Members of the Arlington Area Zonta Club will be hosting a food drive the the Cherrydale Safeway tomorrow Saturday, May 30, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. That Safeway is at 3713 Lee Highway. Look for Zonta volunteers outside the store collecting from store patrons.

Other Upcoming Events & Other Volunteer Opportunities

June 3rd – The Arlington office of Long & Foster has again chosen us for their community service project. They’ll be sponsoring a food drive and their ‘Bar-be-cue Benefiting AFAC’. It is Wednesday, June 3 from 5 to 7 pm. in their parking lot at 4600 Lee Highway. Long & Foster agents, vendors and clients have all been generous to us in the past. If you can attend, please let me know.
June 4th – We’re gearing up for our celebration to support the Permanent Home Campaign. Don’t miss a lovely evening of music, good food and a spectacular silent auction at the Washington Golf and Country Club on June 4th. Visit our website (www.afac.org) for details and to view sponsorship opportunities and to purchase tickets. For more information contact Melissa Kalner at mkalner77@gmail.com. For questions about sponsorship, contact afacbeth@aol.com. We hope to see you there!
Volunteer Appreciation Picnic – Come and relax at AFAC! We will be hosting a picnic for all of our volunteers on Sunday, June 14, from 5 – 7 pm. We’ll provide food, music and lots of praise for our many, many volunteers. Please mark your calendar.

Jazz Series and Wine Tasting – The Village at Shirlington is having a jazz series, along with a wine tasting, every Wednesday night in June. Proceeds from this event will benefit AFAC. We need volunteers to staff the bar. We need three volunteers at each shift – 6 until 7:30 or 7:30 until 9. Volunteers will have time to enjoy the event (free wine tasting tickets!) before or after their shift. Please go to http://afacinfo.org/Volunteering-general.htm to register to volunteer.

Summer Food Drives – We are just now planning a program of food drives in June. Help us keep our pantry stocked over the summer. If you can help coordinate a food drive, please contact Magda Jaskot, our Food Drive Coordinator, at afacMagda@aol.com.

New Volunteer Opportunities – The Volunteer Department is looking for weekend volunteers. We need Weekend Supervisors to supervise and assist the many groups that want to volunteer at AFAC. We also need drivers to pick up market-end produce from local farmers markets on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer. Other volunteers are needed to unload, repackage and store the produce as it comes in. Drivers are needed to pick up donations from Best Buns on weekday mornings.
Produce storage advisor/trainer -
Do you have experience storing produce in a way that reduces spoilage? Or do you know anyone who has experience? AFAC would like to reduce spoilage of fresh fruits and vegetables that come from the farmers’ markets over the summer months. We would love to have an expert to come train a farmer’s market receiving team about best large-scale storage methods for the thousands of pounds of produce that are donated to AFAC. Please contact Puwen at afacpuwen@aol.com.

Thank you for all you do for AFAC. We need and appreciate your support!

Have a great weekend.

Christine

German Radio Interview with AFAC Volunteers.

“Would you like 1 % milk or 2% milk? “- asks Brian.
Brian helps here in AFAC in the morning by distributing food to people who don’t have enough money to buy a food – a basic need.
Brian is 57 years old and likes to come to AFAC and help people. He says it is something that he grew up with and the older you are the more you like to help.
The Arlington County is not sure how many years AFAC has been distributing food, such as milk, bread, and canned items, to poor people.

Brian belongs to Single Volunteers, an organization that supports various project with help with other volunteers. Every 3rd Saturday in a month the group comes to the AFAC warehouse for distribution. For them it is like a family meeting a month, but you can also meet new people here – says 57-year old Brian, who is divorced and has one daughter. He still did not meet anyone who he could go out with.
A 58 year old woman says that she belongs to this 6 women /2 men group and that they are signed up for a year. Most of the volunteers are singles who wants to help in the community and at the same time to meet new people and make friends.
Brian did not meet anyone here yet, but he really likes it here and the people.

Debbie (a 40 year old woman) comes here also to help with the distribution and meet new people. She has met a few friends, but still has not gone on a date. She enjoys helping other people.
For some volunteers being here reminds them how lucky they are with their life that they don’t have to worry what they will eat tomorrow, or if they will be able to afford the food for their family.

Sometimes you might complain about your own life, what is missing , but when you come to AFAC you realize how good your life is and it could have been worse.

Hello all,

Client Count: The client count for the week ending May 16, 2009 totals 1,144 families, which consist of 2,079 adults and 1,221 children. There are currently 2,407 active referrals. One year ago, the client count was 870. Two years ago, the client count was 660. This means that we are up 31% from one year ago, and we are up 73% from two years ago.

Last Minute Notice – We could use a few volunteers to help out at a neighborhood block party/AFAC food drive this Sunday, May 24th. If you have some availability from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. or from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., please email me at afacChristine@aol.com. TIA!

Run for AFAC – This 5k walk/run will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2009. The run will be at Bluemont Junction at 601 N. Manchester St. The run is being sponsored by two students from Yorktown High School. Registration starts at 9:00 a.m, and the run starts at 10:00 a.m. The young ladies putting this event together for us have gotten some excellent raffle items. To register before the day, send an email with your name, email address and phone number to run4afac@aol.com. Five volunteers are needed the day of the run. The cost of the race is $15 for students and $25 for adults.

Arlington Area Zonta Club Food Collection – Members of the Arlington Area Zonta Club will be hosting a food drive the the Cherrydale Safeway on Saturday, May 30, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. That Safeway is at 3713 Lee Highway. Look for Zonta volunteers outside the store collecting from store patrons.

June 3rd – The Arlington office of Long & Foster has again chosen us for their community service project. They’ll be sponsoring a food drive and their ‘Bar-be-cue Benefiting AFAC’. It is Wednesday, June 3 from 5 to 7 pm. in their parking lot at 4600 Lee Highway. Long & Foster agents, vendors and clients have all been generous to us in the past. If you can attend, please let me know.
June 4th – We’re gearing up for our celebration to support the Permanent Home Campaign. Don’t miss a lovely evening of music, good food and a spectacular silent auction at the Washington Golf and Country Club on June 4th. Visit our website (www.afac.org) for details and to view sponsorship opportunities and to purchase tickets. For more information contact Melissa Kalner at mkalner77@gmail.com. For questions about sponsorship, contact afacbeth@aol.com. We hope to see you there!
Volunteer Appreciation Picnic – Come and relax at AFAC! We will be hosting a picnic for all of our volunteers on Sunday, June 14, from 5 – 7 pm. We’ll provide food, music and lots of praise for our many, many volunteers. Please mark your calendar.

Jazz Series and Wine Tasting – The Village at Shirlington is having a jazz series, along with a wine tasting, every Wednesday night in June. Proceeds from this event will benefit AFAC. We need volunteers to staff the bar. We need three volunteers at each shift – 6 until 7:30 or 7:30 until 9. Volunteers will have time to enjoy the event (free wine tasting tickets!) before or after their shift. Please go to http://afacinfo.org/Volunteering-general.htm to register to volunteer.

AFAC’s blog – Be sure to look at or even write on AFAC’s blog sometime. A volunteer has written some wonderful descriptions of her times working here. You can get to the blog from a link at the top left of www.afacinfo.org or by going to http://afacblog.wordpress.com/.
Summer Food Drives – We are just now planning a program of food drives in June. Help us keep our pantry stocked over the summer. If you can help coordinate a food drive, please contact Magda Jaskot, our Food Drive Coordinator, at afacMagda@aol.com.

Constant Contact – Soon, and maybe even next week, if we are lucky, we’ll be moving to Constant Contact for our weekly updates. The size our mailing list makes using our current system unweildy. If you know someone who would like to receive our updates, please let me know. If you’d like to be deleted from our list, please let me know that too.

New Volunteer Opportunities – The Volunteer Department is looking for weekend volunteers. We need Weekend Supervisors to supervise and assist the many groups that want to volunteer at AFAC. We also need drivers to pick up market-end produce from local farmers markets on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer. Other volunteers are needed to unload, repackage and store the produce as it comes in. Drivers are needed to pick up donations from Best Buns on weekday mornings.

Produce storage advisor/trainer -
Do you have experience storing produce in a way that reduces spoilage? Or do you know anyone who has experience? AFAC would like to reduce spoilage of fresh fruits and vegetables that come from the farmers’ markets over the summer months. We would love to have an expert to come train a farmer’s market receiving team about best large-scale storage methods for the thousands of pounds of produce that are donated to AFAC. Please contact Puwen at afacpuwen@aol.com.

Thank you for all you do for AFAC. We need and appreciate your support!

Have a great holiday weekend.

Christine

Hello,

Client Count: The client count for the week ending May 9, 2009 totals 1,117 families, which consist of 2,051 adults and 1,233 children. There are currently 2,382 active referrals. One year ago, for the week ending May 10, 2008, the client count was 857. Two years ago, for the week ending May 12, 2007, the client count was 692. These figures mean that we are up 30% from one year ago, and up 61% from two years ago.

Wine Tasting – Join us at Our Savior Lutheran Church as we enjoy, taste and compare several lovely wines. Proceeds benefit AFAC and the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. This was a fun event last year, and I’m sure this year’s will be too. The Tasting is tomorrow night, May 16, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The price is $35 per person, and $25 for designated drivers. To make your reservations, call 703.892.4846. Our Savior is at 825 S. Taylor St.

Run for AFAC – This 5k walk/run will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2009. The run will be at Bluemont Junction at 601 N. Manchester St. The run is being sponsored by two students from Yorktown High School. Registration starts at 9:00 a.m, and the run starts at 10:00 a.m. The young ladies putting this event together for us have gotten some excellent raffle items. To register before the day, send an email with your name, email address and phone number to run4afac@aol.com. Volunteers are needed the day of the run. The cost of the race is $15 for students and $25 for adults.

June 3rd – The Arlington office of Long & Foster has again chosen us for their community service project. They’ll be sponsoring a food drive and their ‘Bar-be-cue Benefiting AFAC’. It is Wednesday, June 3 from 5 to 7 pm. in their parking lot at 4600 Lee Highway. Long & Foster agents, vendors and clients have all been generous to us in the past. If you can attend, please let me know.
June 4th – We’re gearing up for our celebration to support the Permanent Home Campaign. Don’t miss a lovely evening of music, good food and a spectacular silent auction at the Washington Golf and Country Club on June 4th. Visit our website (www.afac.org) for details and to view sponsorship opportunities and to purchase tickets. For more information contact Melissa Kalner at mkalner77@gmail.com. For questions about sponsorship, contact afacbeth@aol.com. We hope to see you there!

New Volunteer Opportunities – The Volunteer Department is looking for weekend volunteers. We need Weekend Supervisors to supervise and assist the many groups that want to volunteer at AFAC. We also need drivers to pick up market-end produce from local farmers markets on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer. Other volunteers are needed to unload, repackage and store the produce as it comes in. Please contact the volunteer department at volunteer4afac@aol.com if you are interested in any of these positions.

Volunteer Appreciation Picnic – Come and relax at AFAC! We will be hosting a picnic for all of our volunteers on Sunday, June 14, from 5 – 7 pm. We’ll provide food, music and lots of praise for our many, many volunteers. Please mark your calendar. Volunteers will be receiving invitations soon.

Jazz Series and Wine Tasting – The Village at Shirlington is having a jazz series, along with a wine tasting, every Wednesday night in June. Proceeds from this event will benefit AFAC. We need volunteers to staff the bar. We need three volunteers at each shift – 6 until 7:30 or 7:30 until 9. Volunteers will have time to enjoy the event (free wine tasting tickets!) before or after their shift. Please go to http://afacinfo.org/Volunteering-general.htm to register to volunteer.

AFAC’s blog – Be sure to look at or even write on AFAC’s blog sometime. A volunteer has written some wonderful descriptions of her times working here. You can get to the blog from a link at the top left of www.afacinfo.org or by going to http://afacblog.wordpress.com/.
Summer Food Drives – We are just now planning a program of food drives in June. Help us keep our pantry stocked over the summer. If you can help coordinate a food drive, please contact Magda Jaskot, our Food Drive Coordinator, at afacMagda@aol.com.

Constant Contact – Soon, and maybe even next week, if we are lucky, we’ll be moving to Constant Contact for our weekly updates. The size our mailing list makes using our current system unweildy. If you know someone who would like to receive our updates, please let me know. If you’d like to be deleted from our list, please let me know that too.

Thank you for all you do for AFAC. We need and appreciate your support!

Christine

Christine Lucas
AFAC Executive Director
703.845.8486
afacChristine@aol.com

Hello, all.

Like at the holiday season, many groups are working to support AFAC in a variety of ways. Please be sure to read all the way to the end. There are lots of fun events coming up!

Client Count: The client count for the week ending April 25, 2009 totals 1,184 families, which consist of 2,129 adults and 1,229 children. There are currently 1,904 active referrals. One year ago the client count was 869. Two years ago the client count was 665.

4th Annual Arlington Science Focus School 5k Race – This race and 1k fun run/walk tomorrow Saturday May 2, 2009 is also a food drive for AFAC. Participants are asked to bring one non-perishable food item on race day to support AFAC. You can get a registration form from the school’s website, www.asfsonline.org.

Whole Foods, Mom and AFAC – Whole Foods Market Arlington is helping you show your Mom you care about her and the community. Surprise your Mom or loved one with either a rainbow mix of colorful tulips and/or a pink potted hydrangea flower for only $14.99. For each floral purchase you make, Whole Foods Market will donate $4.00 to AFAC. To place your Mother’s Day floral order, please visit www.lovewhereyoushop.net. This is a pre-order form. All payments will be made at the sotr on your pickup date. The online program runs through Tuesday, May 5th.

Letter Carriers Food Drive – This major food drive is Saturday, May 9, 2009. We need your help spreading the word in your neighborhood about this drive. We have leaflets, sample posters, and ideas on how you can help with publicity on our website at http://afacinfo.org/Letter_Carrier_Publicity.html

Wine Tasting – Join us at Our Savior Lutheran Church as we enjoy, taste and compare several lovely wines. Proceeds benefit AFAC and the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. This was a fun event last year, and I’m sure this year’s will be too. The Tasting is May 16, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The price is $35 per person, and $25 for designated drivers. To make your reservations, call 703.892.4846. Our Savior is at 825 S. Taylor St.

Run for AFAC – Look for more information soon about this 5k run on Saturday, May 30, 2009. The run will be at Bluemont Park. The run is being sponsored by two students from Yorktown High School.

June 4th – We’re gearing up for our celebration to support the Permanent Home Campaign. Don’t miss a lovely evening of music, good food and a spectacular silent auction at the Washington Golf and Country Club on June 4th. Visit our website (www.afac.org) for details and to view sponsorship opportunities and to purchase tickets. For more information contact Melissa Kalner at mkalner77@gmail.com. For questions about sponsorship, contact afacbeth@aol.com. We hope to see you there!

New Volunteer Opportunities – The Volunteer Department is looking for weekend volunteers. We need Weekend Supervisors to supervise and assist the many groups that want to volunteer at AFAC. We also need drivers to pick up market-end produce from local farmers markets on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer. Other volunteers are needed to unload, repackage and store the produce as it comes in. Please contact the volunteer department at volunteer4afac@aol.com if you are interested in any of these positions.

Volunteer Appreciation Picnic – AFAC will be hosting a picnic for all of its volunteers on Sunday, June 14, from 5 – 7 pm. We’ll provide food, music and lots of praise for our many, many volunteers. Please mark your calendar. Volunteers will be receiving invitations soon.

Jazz Series and Wine Tasting – The Village at Shirlington is having a jazz series, along with a wine tasting, every Wednesday night in June. Proceeds from this event will benefit AFAC. We need volunteers to staff the bar. We need three volunteers at each shift – 6 until 7:30 or 7:30 until 9. Volunteers will have time to enjoy the event before or after their shift. Please go to http://afacinfo.org/Volunteering-general.htm to register to volunteer.

AFAC’s blog – Be sure to look at or even write on AFAC’s blog sometime. A volunteer has written some wonderful descriptions of her times working here. You can get to the blog from a link at the top left of www.afacinfo.org or by going to http://afacblog.wordpress.com/.

Summer Food Drives – We are just now planning a program of food drives in June. Help us keep our pantry stocked over the summer. If you can help coordinate a food drive, please contact Magda Jaskot, our Food Drive Coordinator, at afacMagda@aol.com

Thank you for all you do for AFAC. We need and appreciate your support.

Christine

Christine Lucas
AFAC Executive Director
703.845.8486
afacChristine@aol.com