AFAC's Blog

A Special Thanks to All Who Have Helped AFAC

As we come to the end of 2010, I want to give a special thanks to the many individuals, businesses, schools, congregations, and especially to our many dedicated volunteers, who have leant a hand to AFAC as we try to serve the many families who rely on us. It has indeed been heartwarming to me and everyone here to see all the things, large and small, that have been done to help – from our Summer Teen Volunteers to the students of HB Woodlawn HS and Washington & Lee HS who each donated many tons of oranges from their school drives, to the residents of the many Arlington apartment buildings who held holiday food drives; from the local Boy Scouts who collected a record breaking 57,000 lbs of food during Scouting for Food this year, to the numerous individuals who have made large and small donations to our year-end Filling in the Gap Campaign; and to the many congregations that support all our efforts to feed the hungry of Arlington County. I can go on thanking each and every individual or group for all that they have done, but I risk offending those who are not mentioned and that’s exactly what I do not want to do. So to everyone who has helped in great and in small ways, I want to say THANKS, and I’d like to wish everyone a wonderful New Year filled with happiness.

Winter Warmth – January Challenge
Many thanks to the individuals and groups who have made our clients’ holiday season just a little bit happier and our Holiday Challenge successful. We have been able to distribute flour, sugar and oil to clients throughout this holiday season. Our clients loved all the choices and while we have some flour remaining, clients still request sugar and vegetable oil.
With cold winter weather and holiday food drives over, AFAC’s clients still need to keep warm. Please consider picking up some extra cans of low-sodium soup and chili with pop top lids.
Starting in February, AFAC is also hoping to move away from plastic bags and provide each family with a recyclable cloth bag. Please help us collect such recyclable bags for our 1300 client families.
Donated items can be dropped off at AFAC between 8am and 5pm, Monday-Friday.

Help Fill in the Gap…for a neighbor in need
AFAC provides supplemental groceries so that the elderly can stay in their homes, workers can stay on the job, children are ready to learn, and mothers and babies get the nutrition they need. AFAC’s ability to reach out to help those in need is tied directly to the amount of help we receive from friends like you. Now more than ever, your support will help us ensure that children, seniors, the unemployed, the under-employed and entire families are not forgotten as many struggle to make ends meet. Please visit http://www.helpfillinthegap.com to help AFAC continue to fulfill its important mission.

Virtual Food Drive
Feeding the hungry is now just one click away. This secure website allows you to select the foods AFAC needs and add them to a shopping cart. Once your cart is full, proceed to the virtual checkout and pay with a credit card. It’s that easy, and your donation is fully tax deductible.

Kudos to all our great volunteers!
Please note that AFAC will be closed December 31st and January 1st.

Thank you to Nancy Miller of Miller Acupuncture for donating her skills to raise funds for AFAC throughout November and December.

Congratulations to AFAC volunteers Jonathan Ludwig and Jessica Martin, who are getting married this week. We appreciate them encouraging their wedding guests to make a special donation to AFAC as part of their wedding registry.

Thank you to the following seed companies for donating vegetable seeds to AFAC’s Plot Against Hunger program: Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, W. Atlee Burpee & Company, Tomato Bob and Lake Valley Seeds. These seeds will be given to our clients as well as local farmers, backyard gardeners, schools and other organizations who grow vegetables for AFAC next year.

Arlington Courthouse Food Drive
Special thanks to the many individuals who have donated food during this holiday season. We are also very grateful to the following organizations whose holiday food drives have brought in donations during the last weeks of December:
AAAA Self Storage, Abingdon Elementary School, Alaska Airlines, Alexan Carlyle, Animal Welfare League of Arlington, Arlington County Central Library, Arlington County Public Health Division, Arlington Courthouse Defender’s Office, Arlington Daisies – Science Focus Elementary School, Arlington Democrats, Arlington Oaks Condominium, Arlington Traditional School, Arlington Unitarian Cooperative Preschool, ARPC, Inc., ASI Gov., Avalon of Ballston, Belvedere Condos, Bethel United Church of Christ, Body by Ginny Fitness, Boy Scout Troop 106, Brittany Condominium, Cardinal Bank, Chantilly Air, Inc., Cherrydale United Methodist Church, Children’s House Montessori School, Clarendon 1021 Condominium, Community United Methodist Church, Concord Residences, Congregation Etz Hayim, Conservation International, Crossfit Adaptation, Crystal City Children’s Center, Crystal Houses, Crystal Park Condos, CUMC, Devtech Systems, Diplomatic Language School, Dorchester Towers, Faith Lutheran Church, Falls Church High School, FCHS, FCCLA Arlington Career, Girl Scout Troops 6680 and 4753, Goodwin House Incorporated, Gunston Middle School, Haycock Elementary School, HB Woodlawn High School, Hildie Block’s Workshop, Hilton Garden Inn – Shirlington, HNFS, HNTB Corporation, Horizon East/Horizon West, Jacobs Engineering, Kinder Haus Toys, Kodiak Retail Service, Koons Ford, KPMG LLP – Network of Women, Langley Ward Relief Society – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Lee Mt. Vernon Soccer Club U-16 Girls, Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, Medical Services, Mitchell Whittaker and Wu, Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy, MTS Technologies, Inc., National Highway Institute, National Rural Electrical Association, Nature Conservatory, Navy Annex Chief Petty Officers, North Tract Loft, NRECA, NSTA, Oakridge Elementary School – Girls on the Run, Odyssey Condominium, Overlee Preschool, Palatine Apartments, Park at Arlington Ridge, Potomac Institute, Public Broadcasting Service – Corporate Services Dept., Randolph Elementary School, Raytheon, REEP – Arlington Public Schools, Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church, Rivendell School, Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ, Rosslyn Heights, SAIC, Share-A-Cause, Shirlington Village Condos, SOWA Printing and Graphics, Staybridge Suites McLean-Tysons, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, St. Ann’s Church, St. John’s Episcopal Church, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, The Chatham, The Container Store, The Falls Church – Women’s Ministry, The Gramercy at Metropolitan Park, The Reserve at Clarendon Center, Thirsty Bernie’s, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Trinity Presbyterian Church, TMG, Inc., US Fish & Wildlife Service, Vornado, Walker Chapel United Methodist Church, Westover Market, WETA, Williamsburg Condominium, and Windsor Plaza Condo.

Happy New Year!

Charlie

Client Update
For the first two weeks of December, our numbers have remained steady compared to last year, serving 1,254 and 1,278 families respectively. This past week, those numbers include 2,138 adults and 1,332 children for a total of 3,470 individuals.

Holiday Challenge!

Starting today, December 16th, through Wednesday, December 22nd, AFAC is conducting a chicken distribution to each family for the holiday season. Our challenge is also to distribute flour, sugar and oil to each of our clients. Please help us make this a reality! This means that we still need 1085 bags of flour, 1115 bags of sugar, and 1104 containers of cooking oil by December 22nd. Please consider picking up an extra item (or 10!) this week at the grocery store to help make this a reality. For more information, please contact volunteer4afac@afac.org

Fill in the Gap…For a neighbor in need
With the high cost of living in Arlington, coupled with these trying times, AFAC provides supplemental groceries so that the elderly can stay in their homes, workers can stay on the job, children are ready to learn, and mothers and babies get the nutrition they need. AFAC’s ability to reach out to help those in need is tied directly to the amount of help we receive from friends like you. Now more than ever, your support will help us ensure that children, seniors, the unemployed, the under-employed and entire families are not forgotten as many struggle to make ends meet. Please visit http://www.helpfillinthegap.com to help AFAC continue to fulfill its important mission.

Virtual Food Drive
Feeding the hungry is now just one click away. This secure website allows you to select the foods AFAC needs and add them to a shopping cart. Once your cart is full, proceed to the virtual checkout and pay with a credit card. It’s that easy, and your donation is fully tax deductible.

United Way and CFC Campaign
Please encourage your co-workers to support AFAC. If you’d like some AFAC brochures or need some talking points to make a presentation about our work, please let us know. Our United Way number is #8354; our CFC number is #19265.

Please note that AFAC will be closed December 24th, 25th, 31st and January 1st.

Thank you Mike Green!

As one lucky winner said: “his saucer passes are just perfect — flat with no wobble”
Way back in June, Mike Green, #52 of the Washington Capitals, generously donated a signed jersey and a Capitols Iceplex skate session with ten kids to be auctioned off at our Permanent Home Campaign fundraiser. Andrew Kerron and Janet Storella were the generous and lucky winners of Mike’s donation. As one parent said: “He was great and the kids will never forget it. And apart from the fun, they learned a lot and enjoyed the chance to see and appreciate his skills up close — the passes and slap shots are all wrist — no wasted body motion. Thanks again.”

Mike Green with AFAC Staff, Mona Bormet at the 9:30 Club.
For Mike, Monday was “all AFAC, all the time,” as the high school skaters played a game with him and spent some time talking with him as he signed autographs. From the skate, Mike went directly to the 9:30 Club where he hosted a fundraiser for AFAC and “So Kids Can,” a DC charity. We are so grateful to Mike, who is an Arlington resident, for his solidarity with the hungry in our community and his engagement with AFAC. Thank you Mike!

Special thanks to the many individuals for their many food donations during this special time of year and for all the extra time they have put into helping at AFAC. We are also very grateful to the following organizations whose holiday food drives have brought in donations these first couple weeks of December: Advanced Resources International, American Society of Military Comptrollers, Archstone at Ballston, Arlington Arts Center, Arlington Church of the Brethren, Arlington Central Public Library, Arlington Cherrydale Public Library, Arlington Democrats, Arlington Forest United Methodist Church, Arlington Metaphysical Chapel, Arlington Partnership for Children-Youth & Families Teen Network Board, Arlington Soccer Association, ASI Government, Aurora Hills Women’s Club, Bainbridge Companies, Barton House, Belvedere Apartments, Bellevue Forest Garden, Body by Ginny, Boy Scout Troop #111, Calvary United Methodist Church, Campbell Elementary PTA, CBRE Building, Central United Methodist Church, Chatham Condo, Children’s House Montessori School, Church of the Covenant, Colonial Village Apartments, Committee of 100, Courtland Towers, Dolley Madison Towers, Dominion Plaza, Dorchester Apartments, Dorchester Towers, Dykema, Eclipse Condo Association, ESI International, FDIC at Virginia Square, First Presbyterian Church, Front Page, George Mason University, Girl Scout Troop #1014, Girl Scout Troop #6585, Green Drinks Arlington, Gunston Middle School, H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, HI Ball Events, Hyde Park Condo, Kiwanis Club of Arlington, Leadership Arlington, Kinder Haus, Lions Club, Lorcom House, Madison Co-Op, Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, MCCS Henderson Hall, Memorial Baptist Church, Metropolitan Apartments, Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Nauck United, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Page Southerland Page, Park Glen Condo, Patrick Henry Elementary School, Potomac Towers, REEP Program-Arlington County Schools, RESNA, Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church, Rock Spring United Church of Christ, Shirlington Village Condo, Siena Park, SOC Enterprises, St. Ann Church, St. Clement School-Green Room, St. George’s Episcopal Church, St. John’s Episcopal Church, St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, The Aspen, The Association of the US Army, The Cadmus Group, The Jane Goodall Institute, The Madison at Ballston Station, The Millennium at Metropolitan Park, The UPS Store-Shirlington, The Wellington, The Windsor at Shirlington, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Vista on Courthouse, Walter Reed Community Center, Washington-Lee High School Band, Westover Baptist Church, Westover Baptist Preschool Parents Group, Westmont Gardens, Wildwood Towers, Williamsburg Middle School, Yorktown Band Boosters, and the 11th Street Lounge Lizards.

Charlie

Holiday Challenge!
Clients often ask for cooking staples (flour, sugar, oil). This holiday season, AFAC would like to distribute a bag of these 3 items to each client the week of December 20th. Please help us make this a reality! This means that we still need 1200 bags of flour, 1200 bags of sugar, and 1200 containers of cooking oil by Friday, December 17th. Please consider picking up an extra item (or 10!) this week at the grocery store to help make this a reality. For more information, please contact volunteer4afac@afac.org.

Filling in the Gap
Fill in the Gap…For a neighbor in need
With the high cost of living in Arlington, coupled with these trying times, AFAC provides supplemental groceries so that the elderly can stay in their homes, workers can stay on the job, children are ready to learn, and mothers and babies get the nutrition they need. AFAC’s ability to reach out to help those in need is tied directly to the amount of help we receive from friends like you. Now more than ever, your support will help us ensure that children, seniors, the unemployed, the under-employed and entire families are not forgotten as many struggle to make ends meet. Please visit http://www.helpfillinthegap.com to help AFAC continue to fulfill its important mission.

Virtual Food Drive
Feeding the hungry is now just one click away. This secure website allows you to select the foods AFAC needs and add them to a shopping cart. Once your cart is full, proceed to the virtual checkout and pay with a credit card. It’s that easy, and your donation is fully tax deductible.

United Way and CFC Campaign
Please encourage your co-workers to support AFAC. If you’d like some AFAC brochures or need some talking points to make a presentation about our work, please let us know. Our United Way number is #8354; our CFC number is #19265.

Special Hours and Thank You
Please note that AFAC will be closed December 24th, 25th, 31st and January 1st.

Light up the Village in Shirlington. Thanks to Federal Realty Investment Trust and Light Up the Village volunteers: Carmela T. Blancada, Kat Cheshire, Ashley Plumb, Annie Braswell, Erin Henzie, and Jeff Findley, for assisting people as they visited with Santa and enjoyed the horse and carriage rides, and for collecting food donations for AFAC.

Charlie

Charles Meng
Executive Director
703.845.8486
Charles.Meng@afac.org
http://www.afac.org