AFAC's Blog

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 http://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 http://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, http://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 http://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 http://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