THANK YOU for your generous support and for your prayers for our outreach team and the health and safety of all those who were involved in this effort.
The Community Food Pantry has now permanently suspended operations. Through your generosity over the past six months, and the combined efforts of The Falls Church Anglican, Comunidad and The Chinese Christian Church of Virginia, we have been able to provide food to over 8,650 families. This equates to over 300,000 pounds of food! We want to say thank you to all who have served with the pantry and provided donations of food, time, and finances. Your gift of talent, time and treasure enabled us to reach so many families in such a short time. Money contributed to the Coronavirus Benevolence Fund will continue to be used to support gospel-neighboring efforts within the community.
Here’s a brief recap of the food pantry’s efforts over the past six months.
Phase 1 (3/30 – 6/27): Door- to-Door Delivery
We received requests online through Comunidad ‘s website. The first 48 deliveries were made on April 11, 2020. We progressively expanded the number of bags prepared and deliveries made each week, eventually preparing and delivering in excess of 250 bags per week.
Total number of families served: 2,056
Phase 2 (5/25, 7/4): On-Site Distribution at The Falls Church Anglican
We held large-scale distributions on the grounds of The Falls Church Anglican campus, serving those who arrived on foot or by car. Each time, both events required the participation and help of more than 80 volunteers on site, managing traffic control, hospitality, food packing and distribution, among other tasks, as well as many days of preparation beforehand.
Total number of families served: 2,907 (1,148 on May 25 and 1,759 on July 4)
Phase 2 (5/25, 7/4): On-Site Distribution at The Falls Church Anglican
Phase 3 (7/5- 8/30): Community Multi-Site Distributions
Our team delivered smaller distributions of 300-500 units to various sites within the underserved communities in our area every two weeks. Over the course of two months, we distributed food to a total of 10 different neighborhood sites. Total number of families served: 3,537
Specialized Support (4/11 – 8/30): Bi-Weekly Families, COVID+ Families
In addition to our efforts described above, on a bi-weekly basis, the food pantry supported a number of families referred to us by social workers, our priority ministry partners or school/parent liaisons. We delivered an additional portion of food to families struggling with persistent food insecurity, and/or the presence of a family member who tested positive for COVID-19, throughout the full run of the food pantry. Total number of deliveries made: 350+
Over and over, those of us who have volunteered and managed the operations of the food pantry have heard and felt the gratitude expressed by those receiving the food in the community – families who were struggling to know where their next meal was going to come from. In addition, the food pantry has provided opportunities for volunteers from within our church as well as our surrounding communities to come and work together in serving our neighbors. Some of our consistent volunteers have also been among those who received food. Several of our volunteers have never attended a church service at The Falls Church Anglican, but they were excited by the opportunity to serve here.
Why are we closing down the food pantry now? How can we continue to serve our neighbors?
Many people have asked why we are shutting down the pantry now, curious about what is coming next. First of all, thanks for asking! One reason for the timing is that the pantry was originally designed to fill a gap where there were few resources available in our surrounding area. To some extent, this gap - the needs of our neighbors - has now been filled by additional services and resources provided by the county as the pandemic has continued. In addition, we were running the pantry out of the narthex of our church, and that space is needed for other purposes as the church continues to open up progressively in the coming months. Lastly, aside from the reduced volunteer force available as classes resume for many of our volunteers, the food pantry has been an effort led by The Falls Church Anglican and Comunidad staff and volunteers who are needing to redirect their roles and responsibilities to their work.
However, there will always be needs within our community and our Neighborhood Engagement team is committed to supporting our neighbors on an ongoing basis. Money contributed to the Coronavirus Benevolence Fund will continue to be used to support gospel-neighboring efforts within the community, including limited rental assistance and other new initiatives we are currently developing. Please continue to contribute generously to this fund as we seek to find new opportunities to serve. If you or someone you know would like to request financial assistance or to refer those in need, email coronavirusbenevolence@tfcanglican.org to let us know how we can be of service.
