Peak season for area food banks
‘Our neediest time of year’ says director of Food for Others
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20130913/NEWS/130919458/1064/peak-season-for-area-food-banks&template=fairfaxTimes

Local food banks and food-assistance groups need your donations, organizers say.

“This is our neediest time of year,” said Roxanne Rice, executive director of Fairfax-based nonprofit Food for Others, which distributed 2.3 million pounds of food locally from July 2012 to June 2013. “This is the time of year that we have the least amount of food in our warehouse due to many people taking vacations and generally just not donating as much.”

Where to Donate

The following organizations accept food donations to assist Fairfax County residents:

Annandale Christian Community for Action: 703-256-0100

Black Women United for Action, Springfield: 703-922-5757

Capital Area Food Bank, Lorton: 703-541-3063

Christ House, Alexandria: 703-548-4227

Columbia Center for Missions, Falls Church: 703-534-5700

Committee for Helping Others, Vienna: 703-281-7614

Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center, Falls Church: 703-531-2912

Ecumenical Community Helping Others, Springfield: 703-569-9160

Facets, Fairfax: 703-352-5090

Falls Church Community Service Council: 703-237-2562

Family Preservation and Strengthening Services, Oakton: 703-242-6474

Floris United Methodist Church, Herndon: 703-793-0026

Food for Others, Fairfax: 703-207-9173

Groveton Baptist Church, Alexandria: 703-768-9084

James Mott Community Assistance Program, Fairfax: 703-591-1600

The Koinonia Foundation, Alexandria: 703-971-1991

LINK Inc., Sterling: 703-437-1776

Lorton Community Action Center: 703-339-5161

Nation Children Inc., Herndon: 866-533-6629

Our Daily Bread, Fairfax: 703-273-8829

Reston Interfaith Inc.: 571-323-1400

Salvation Army: Alexandria, 703-548-0579; Fairfax, 703-385-8700

Share Inc., McLean: 703-284-2179

Springfield Church of Christ: 703-451-4011

St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, Falls Church: 703-820-2011

St. Mary of Sorrows Catholic Church, Fairfax: 703-978-4141

St. Vincent DePaul Society, Fairfax: 703-284-2080

Rising Hope United Methodist Church, Alexandria: 703-360-1976

United Community Ministries, Alexandria: 703-768-7106

Western Fairfax Christian Ministries, Chantilly: 703-988-9656

Westwood Baptist Church, Springfield: 703-451-5120
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans throw away more than 25 percent of the food they prepare, about 96 billion pounds of food waste each year.

The Capital Area Food Bank in Lorton states on its website that in the metro Washington, D.C., area, there are nearly 700,000 individuals at risk of hunger, nearly 150,000 of which are children. Those same statistics state that in Fairfax County — ranked second nationally for highest median household income — more than 7 percent, or 76,000 people, are considered “food insecure,” meaning that they don’t know where their next nutritional meal will be coming from.

According to Amanda Andere, executive director of Fairfax-based nonprofit FACETS, poverty is alive and well in Fairfax County.

“Many residents have to make decisions between putting food on the table and paying rent,” she said. “For the more than 1,500 people who are homeless in the county, hunger is a stark and scary reality. Hunger and good nutrition, as well as access to food and the means to cook it, are daily issues for people who are homeless.”

Fairfax County is also seeing a slight increase in the number of residents who qualify for benefits under the federal Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, according to Amy Carlini, a spokeswoman for the Fairfax County Department of Family Services. As of July 2013, 26,829 Fairfax County households received SNAP benefits monthly. “In July of last year, that figure was 25,481,” Carlini said.

Some local food assistance organizations are seeing double-digit increases in need, according to Rice of Food for Others.

“We are seeing a huge increase right now for some reason that we don’t quite understand,” Rice said. “We had a 23 percent increase in people coming to us in July and August of this year when compared to those same months last year. We are not sure why. Perhaps the working poor are just finding it more difficult to keep up.”

Some area churches that provide food assistance, like St. Anthony of Padua in Falls Church, receive weekly food donations from local restaurants.

“We get food donations every week from the Red Lobster in Fairfax,” said Ubaldo Cisneros, a social minister with the church that runs its food assistance program. “It makes people very happy to receive lobster, steak and shrimp, and anyone is welcome.”

Fabio Pennella, general manager of the Fairfax Red Lobster, says the restaurant gives between 10 to 20 pounds of surplus food a week to St. Anthony’s through the Food Donation Collection, a Tennessee-based company that links commercial food vendors with local charities in need.

“It helps everyone,” said Jim Larson, program development director of Food Donation Collection.

“We seek out local charities and vet them for our clients, determine their needs, then usually set up one-on-one connections to keep the food donations local, ensuring the food is staying close. We then track the donations so the donors can assess a tax value on their donations, and the charities can verify what they have received.”

Larson said that any interested local area food vendors can go to www.foodtodonate.com to learn more about how the program works.
Attachments:

From a longtime food pantry volunteer:

Please find out in advance what the true needs are at each pantry. Needs vary widely according to demographics, facilities, season, etc.

Generally, let me urge those donating food to buy new when possible. Please, do not donate expired food or opened packages.

Consider donating items that you might think unusual - cooking oil, liquid dish detergent, sponges, small bags of rice and dried beans, tampons, maxi pads, laundry detergent, toilet paper and dried fruit. These are always in demand and universally appreciated, no matter what the culture.

Also, government programs like food stamps (SNAP) do not cover necessities like soap, shampoo, deodorant, diapers and toilet paper. Imagie your life without any of these products.

More inside scoop: food pantries do NOT want:

Cream soups
Green beans
Soup starters
Sloppy joe sauce
Cranberry sauce
Canned pumpkin
Pie filling

Think hearty, think practical.

Food Helper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> From a longtime food pantry volunteer:
>
> Please find out in advance what the true needs are
> at each pantry. Needs vary widely according to
> demographics, facilities, season, etc.
>
> Generally, let me urge those donating food to buy
> new when possible. Please, do not donate expired
> food or opened packages.
>
> Consider donating items that you might think
> unusual - cooking oil, liquid dish detergent,
> sponges, small bags of rice and dried beans,
> tampons, maxi pads, laundry detergent, toilet
> paper and dried fruit. These are always in demand
> and universally appreciated, no matter what the
> culture.
>
> Also, government programs like food stamps (SNAP)
> do not cover necessities like soap, shampoo,
> deodorant, diapers and toilet paper. Imagie your
> life without any of these products.
>
> More inside scoop: food pantries do NOT want:
>
> Cream soups
> Green beans
> Soup starters
> Sloppy joe sauce
> Cranberry sauce
> Canned pumpkin
> Pie filling
>
> Think hearty, think practical.

The green beans surprises me, I thought most of these donation places wanted vegatables?

Food Helper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Also, government programs like food stamps (SNAP)
> do not cover necessities like soap, shampoo,
> deodorant, diapers and toilet paper. Imagie your
> life without any of these products.
>
>

I can't imagine myself being so useless that I can't earn enough to buy the essentials for myself and my family.

Obama's Dead Delicious Dog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Food Helper Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > Also, government programs like food stamps
> (SNAP)
> > do not cover necessities like soap, shampoo,
> > deodorant, diapers and toilet paper. Imagie
> your
> > life without any of these products.
> >
> >
>
> I can't imagine myself being so useless that I
> can't earn enough to buy the essentials for myself
> and my family.

See what happens when you get improperly foreclosed on and the resultant hit to your credit costs you your clearance. Has happened to me. Yes it will all get fixed in court but until then my family (and me along with it) is SCREWED.

No, I was not behind on my payments and the bank told the mortgage servicer the account was current. Go and google "equity stripping"-the new train robbery of the 201x years.

Practial Thinking Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Food Helper Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > From a longtime food pantry volunteer:
> >
> > Please find out in advance what the true needs
> are
> > at each pantry. Needs vary widely according to
> > demographics, facilities, season, etc.
> >
> > Generally, let me urge those donating food to
> buy
> > new when possible. Please, do not donate
> expired
> > food or opened packages.
> >
> > Consider donating items that you might think
> > unusual - cooking oil, liquid dish detergent,
> > sponges, small bags of rice and dried beans,
> > tampons, maxi pads, laundry detergent, toilet
> > paper and dried fruit. These are always in
> demand
> > and universally appreciated, no matter what the
> > culture.
> >
> > Also, government programs like food stamps
> (SNAP)
> > do not cover necessities like soap, shampoo,
> > deodorant, diapers and toilet paper. Imagie
> your
> > life without any of these products.
> >
> > More inside scoop: food pantries do NOT want:
> >
> > Cream soups
> > Green beans
> > Soup starters
> > Sloppy joe sauce
> > Cranberry sauce
> > Canned pumpkin
> > Pie filling
> >
> > Think hearty, think practical.
>
> The green beans surprises me, I thought most of
> these donation places wanted vegatables?

Most just get loads of green beans...more than any other canned food. Many of our clients prefer dried lentils, dried black beans and never, ever grew up with green beans. I know, if you are hungry, you'll it green beans, but we attempt to make people comfortable and give them what they like. Many clients come from a culture or country where canned food just isn't available. We'd much prefer canned tomatoes and/or sauce, as it is more in demand.

Since when did homeless people get so picky?

My grass needs cut. A can of spaghettio's to the first one to do the job and do it right.

Freaking freeloaders. Always begging and now selective on just what they will take. Have you no shame.

Monty Burns Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My grass needs cut. A can of spaghettio's to the
> first one to do the job and do it right.
Attachments:

Release the hounds Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Freaking freeloaders. Always begging and now
> selective on just what they will take. Have you no
> shame.

Because they're so choosy, from now on it's all nasty lima beans in my donations.

They can eat my shit, lousy lazy-ass fuckers

not un-surprisingly in facist tan fairfax

go to the fairfax county building

it's a line of tans getting free food stamp / credit cards

and a tan worker "deciding who gets free food"

so the food banks are empty ?

or maybe your a liar

personally: i better not find a denizen starving you goddam facists

"Many clients come from a culture or country where canned food just isn't available. We'd much prefer canned tomatoes and/or sauce, as it is more in demand."

Please tell me this is a sick joke. Prefer? How about you eat what is given. If you are so damned finicky get a job and then buy what you want. Most probably just need a boot in the ass more than anything else. This country is turning to shit.

Beavis B Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Many clients come from a culture or country where
> canned food just isn't available. We'd much prefer
> canned tomatoes and/or sauce, as it is more in
> demand."
>
> Please tell me this is a sick joke. Prefer? How
> about you eat what is given. If you are so damned
> finicky get a job and then buy what you want. Most
> probably just need a boot in the ass more than
> anything else. This country is turning to shit.

Huhuhuhuhuhuhu Huhuhuhuhuhuhuh poor people suck!

And the usual braindead racist fuckwads show up like the maggots that they are.

For the actual people who may happen along, know that both cash and in-kind donations will be welcomed and appreciated, but a Food Bank or Pantry (they are two different things) can make a dollar go further than you can.

LOL! Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And the usual braindead racist fuckwads show up
> like the maggots that they are.
>
> For the actual people who may happen along, know
> that both cash and in-kind donations will be
> welcomed and appreciated, but a Food Bank or
> Pantry (they are two different things) can make a
> dollar go further than you can.


You need to go see a doctor, and when he asks "what's wrong with you?" Just say "I think I suck..

Asshole.

Obama's Dead Delicious Dog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Food Helper Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > Also, government programs like food stamps
> (SNAP)
> > do not cover necessities like soap, shampoo,
> > deodorant, diapers and toilet paper. Imagie
> your
> > life without any of these products.
> >
> >
>
> I can't imagine myself being so useless that I
> can't earn enough to buy the essentials for myself
> and my family.


Agreed , or pack a peanut and jelly sandwich for my kid and have to rely on the school to give them food. (yet they have a cell phone)

The government takes enough of my taxes to redistribute. I will no longer give to such organizations such as food pantries. Instead, if there's a known family in your neighborhood, it's best to provide food directly to them.