December 5, 2018
On the week of November 12, AFAC handed out turkeys during our normal food distributions so families could enjoy Thanksgiving with a dinner centered by the traditional holiday staple. That week, we served 2,696 families - the highest number we have seen this calendar year.

On a snowy Thursday morning, one week before Thanksgiving, Washington Post reporter Steve Hendrix visited AFAC's food distribution and talked to clients about the holidays and the impact Amazon's arrival might have on them. Click here to read the article (Washington Post has a paywall, but offers 5 free articles per month).
Scouting for Food Recap
Our Scouting For Food drive on November 10 was a success! Around 51,000 lbs of food was collected for our largest annual food drive of the year. Thank you to National Capital Area Council Boy Scouts of American Chain Bridge District scouts for collecting food; to the volunteer groups from Bloomberg BNA, Booz Allen Hamilton, Emory Alumni Association DC Chapter, Sekon Enterprise, and AFAC volunteers; to Our Savior Lutheran Church for donating their space for the food drive; and to the residents of Arlington who donated to help feed our neighbors in need.
Hope Against Hunger Holiday Campaign
Thank you to everyone who helped us reach our goal of getting to $25,000 by Thanksgiving! You helped make sure Arlington families could spend this holiday together surrounded by a traditional turkey dinner. We will now increase our goal to $50,000 as we get ready to hand out whole roaster chickens for the December holidays.
Gifts that Give Hope
Saturday, December 8
Gifts that Give Hope event is on this Saturday, December 8 from 10am to 2pm at Arlington Science Focus School. This is an alternative gift fair where shoppers can honor their friends and family by donating to local nonprofits and supporting those in need. In case you can't make it, gifts can be purchased through their online store.

Click here for more event details.
Celebration of Arlington Urban Ag
Wednesday, December 12
The Arlington Friends of Urban Agriculture (FOUA) invites you to a "Celebration of Arlington Urban Ag: Look How Far We've Come!" event. This will take place at Arlington Central Library on Wednesday, December 12 from 6:30 - 8:30pm. Learn about the progress that has been made in urban agriculture in Arlington over the past 5 years and see who will be awarded the first annual Golden Radish Award. The event is free, but please RSVP here.
Volunteer Needs
Morning Food Distribution Volunteers Wanted
We're looking for one or two people to add to our morning distribution ranks either every week or every other week on Mondays from 9:15 am -12:15 pm. We'd ask you to try it out a few times before making a commitment. You'll be interacting with clients while they shop, bagging produce, sorting through donations, etc. You'll be on your feet and keeping busy. If you are interested in helping, please go to the online calendar and sign up for a spot that says "Morning Distribution Helper" and pick a day that works for you.
Farmers' Markets
AFAC has concluded our pickups at local farmers' markets in Arlington for the season. This year, we were able to pick up 55,282 pounds of farm fresh produce that we were able to bag and prepare for our 2,300 families that we currently serve every week. This year, we increased the number of pickups from seven to eight markets, adding the Rosslyn Farmers' Market to our rounds.

Thank you to all of our volunteer drivers, volunteer market helpers, volunteer produce supervisors and baggers, and all the vendors from the following markets: Arlington Courthouse, Ballston, Columbia Pike, Crystal City, Fairlington, Marymount, Rosslyn, and Westover. Click here to see our interactive chart of weekly donations from each market.
Plot Against Hunger Updates
End of Season Garden Reports
We have posted a bunch of gardening season recaps on our Plot Against Hunger blog. Here is an excerpt from a report from our garden on Walter Reed Dr.:

Team leader Catherine Connor reports that despite the challenging weather this spring and summer, the Plot Against Hunger garden on Walter Reed Drive produced 1,166 pounds of fresh produce for AFAC, a bit more than in 2017.  That was possible only because of the dedication and hard work of their many volunteers, new and returning, experienced and inexperienced. To read more, click here.

Other updates include Plot gardens from First Presbyterian, Central Library, and Marymount University.
Episcopal HS Greenhouse Donations
Nat Duffield, teacher at Episcopal High School recently showed up with 10 lbs of cucumbers grown by his botany students in the school's greenhouse. Thanks to Episcopal for donating cucumbers grown a mile from us -- you can't get more "locally-grown" than that.
Plot Against Hunger Shirts for Sale
Looking for a gift for a gardener? We have Plot Against Hunger shirts are available in both men's and women's sizes (small to extra large). Shirts are $20. To order, email plotagainsthunger@afac.org.
Thank You
Helen Hensgen, Lee Arts Center potter reports that Saturday morning's throw-in for AFAC yielded 60 bowls; with another 60-70 awaiting firing and glazing. Thank you to the Center and its potters for their ongoing support for AFAC's Empty Bowls event!

Thank you to the Washington-Lee High School Band Boosters for donating 14,805 pounds of fresh citrus to AFAC as a part of their annual Fruit & Nut Sale! Your generosity will serve so many families in need. Click here to see our video of Caprice unloading pallets of oranges from their delivery.

Huge thanks to Georgetown Visitation Prep for donating 5,742 pounds of food to AFAC and to United Way Worldwide for collecting 2,576 pounds of food! 
Thank you to all those who held food drives or donated to Plot Against Hunger!

AAMVA, Abe Porter's Eagle Scout Food Drive, American Association of Airport Executives, Arlington Commons Church, The Arlington Condominiums, Arlington County Fire Department, Army Navy Country Club, The Belvedere Condominiums, Barrett Elementary, Bethel UCC, BM Smith, Breakthrough Community Sports, Canon USA, Carlyle Place, Central Library & Garden, Cherrydale Branch Library, Cherrydale UMC, Children's Weekday Program, Claremont Elementary, Clarendon Presbyterian Church & Garden, Clarendon UMC Garden, Columbia Pike Branch Library, Concord Crystal City, Cross Country Consulting, CWT Sato Travel, Daisy Troop #60093, Decisive Analytics, Deloitte, Episcopal High School's Garden, Fairfax Academy Preschool, Fit 4 Polers, Fors Marsh Group, Girl Scout Troop #1014, Glebe Community Garden, Greenstreet Gardens, Hani Thariani Orthodontics, HB Woodlawn's Music Dept, IBA, Insight Global, International Association for Dental Research, International Thespian Society, Irene Krukos, Kinder Haus Toys, Jacobs Engineering, Junior League of Northern Virginia, Justice High School's Best Buddies Club, Lancaster Co-op CSA, Laureate Beta Upsilon, LDS Pentagon City YSA Ward, Lee Community Center, Lexington Square Condos, Loudon Hunger Relief, Mediabarn, Mount Vernon Masonry, Mount Zion Baptist Church, Nancy Hyde's Garden, Naval Support Facility Arlington, Northern Virginia Catholic Community, NRECA, NRMCA, Oakridge Elementary, OMNI Business Solutions, Perspecta, Inc., Pivot Physical Therapy, The Point at Pentagon City, Poor Roberts, Potomac Overlook Garden, Promontory Interfinancial Network, Pure Barre Falls Church, Randolph Elementary Extended Day, Reevesland Learning Center Garden, Renaissance Arlington Capitol View, Residence Inn Pentagon City, Ritz Carlton of Pentagon City, Roy Croom, Savan Group, Scout Troop #164 & #5484, Shirlington's Light Up The Village, Shirlington Running Club, Siena Apartments, SRF, SRI International, St. John's Episcopal Church, St. Mary's Episcopal Church, St. Michael's Episcopal Church, St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Starbucks, Summerwalk Condominiums, Sun & Moon Yoga, Susan Howell's Garden, Swanson Middle School, Temple Rodef Shalom, Territory Foods, Trinity Episcopal Church, United Community Ministries, Virginia Hospital Center's Pathology Team, Vorsight, Walter Reed Garden, Washington Accueil Association, Washington-Lee H.S., We The Dogs DC, Westover Baptist Church, Westover Branch Library, Wild Birds Unlimited, Women's Club of Arlington, Yorktown AFAC Club

Big thanks to the Arlington Public Schools that donate healthy snacks on a weekly basis as a part of the Food Bus program: Arlington Science Focus ES, Arlington Traditional ES, Discovery ES, McKinley ES, Nottingham ES, and Tuckahoe ES.
Fresh News is generously sponsored by Washington Workplace
Arlington Food Assistance Center | 703.845.8486 | www.afac.org
#19265
96.40 rating