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Kids CAN Make a Difference!
By Nancy Taylor
In spite of the fact that the area we live in is considered to be
one of the richest in the Nation, we have poverty and hunger in our
midst. A huge number of kids are at risk in our neighboring
communities. Washington, DC identifies 50% of its kids as having
inadequate nutrition, Montgomery County estimates 20%, and Northern
Virginia, 18%. That’s a lot of kids, and the communities where these
children live are eager to help out. Among the most heartwarming of
volunteers are school kids. Many local schools have programs in
place where students are given an opportunity to make sandwiches;
sponsor food drives, and participate in fundraisers like
walk-a-thons to help the hungry in the neighborhoods they live in.
And a number of individual schools have gone out of their way to
make a difference in creative and noteworthy ways.
Northern Virginia Friends School makes lunches for the Falls Church
Center, a 12-bed facility for the homeless that is open during the
winter months. They have recently added a community in Hazard,
Kentucky, to their repertoire. Blankets and clothing were donated to
the community last October, and students at the school exchange
letters and postcards with children in the community there. Free
haircuts are provided in September to coincide with the start of a
school year, and an exchange program is in place for the spring.
Rockville High School sponsored the ‘Empty Bowls’ benefit last
spring. Students spent hours making 200 bowls that were given to
attendees of the benefit; the $20 meal consisted of soup and bread
donated by local merchants. Gift baskets, fine art and gift
certificates were donated and used for the silent auction held
during the evening. Profits were donated to the Capital Area Food
Bank. Students were pleased and proud of the successful evening and
of their ability to make a difference in their community.
Many area private schools, as part of their community service
requirement, send their students to Food for Others to volunteer.
Several Fairfax County Middle and High Schools sponsored
‘mini-walks’ to raise money for the organization, and food drives
are a big source of contributions. Area elementary schools make
sandwiches once a month that are then dropped off at the warehouse
and donated to local schoolchildren. 29 area public and private
schools made a difference for Food for Others last year. Scout
troops and churches provide much of the food they receive. The UDSA
Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, MD donates
its entire crop to Food for Others. Volunteer groups; scouts,
schools, churches and families, are given an opportunity to go to
the farm to help harvest the crops. The food is then sent to the
Food for Others warehouse in Fairfax, VA.
As the cost of living in the Metropolitan area increases, more and
more families are finding it difficult to meet the basic needs of
their families. Single parents, the mentally ill, the elderly and
the working poor make up a larger percentage of the population that
we would like to think. It is wonderful to see so many young people
making a difference in their communities. If your child’s school has
a program in place to help the less fortunate, encourage them to
participate. If it doesn’t, encourage your PTA to start one. You
will be glad you did!
Looking for ways your family can help? Volunteers provide much of
the food and sweat equity necessary to keep these programs up and
running. Below are some of the organizations in your area where you
and your family can volunteer. No donation is too small; no effort
you make is insignificant.
Food for Others
One of the largest food banks in Northern Virginia is Food for
Others, in Fairfax, VA. This small, non-profit organization was
founded in part by Fairfax and Arlington County governments.
Foundations, churches and individuals provide the rest of the
funding necessary to keep the organization going financially. But
financial needs are only the beginning. A small but dedicated staff
and over 600 volunteers keep this organization up and running. Food
for Others distributes 1.8 million pounds of food each year!
For information about how you can help, visit their website at
www.foodforothers.org .
Arlington Food Assistance Center
Arlington Food Assistance Center is a non-profit organization
dedicated to serving the Arlington community with groceries for its
residents. AFAC delivers 900 bags of groceries to over 500 families
each week; half of the people they care for are children. This
translates into over 950,000 pounds of food. Arlington Food
Assistance Center is run by a volunteer board of directors, 10
permanent staff members and over 400 volunteers from the community
and area churches. As a result administrative costs are kept very
low, and together with generous food and cash donations, the
business of caring for the hungry is well attended to.
To volunteer for the program, sponsor a food drive, or to make a
donation, check out their website at
www.afacinfo.org .
Manna Food Center
Montgomery County’s only food Bank, Manna Food Center distributes
more than 2 million pounds of food annually. Manna distributes food
based solely on need, and donates food to area group homes, homeless
shelters and soup kitchens. Volunteers are always needed and
community assistance is gratefully accepted. Last year, 48
Elementary, Middle and High Schools, as well as scout troops and
soccer families donated 51,317 pounds of food to the food bank. For
more information, visit the website at
www.mannafood.org
Capital Area Food Bank
The Capital Area Food Bank is the largest public non-profit hunger
assistance organization in the Washington, DC area. Each year, CAFB
donates more than 20 million pounds of food to food pantries, day
care centers, senior centers, faith-based centers and rehabilitation
centers throughout Washington, DC. The Capital Area Food Bank
accepts cash and food donations, as well as needing volunteers. For
more information, check out their webpage at
www.capitalareafoodbank.org. |
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