Volunteer Arlington Awards
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On Tuesday, July 23, Volunteer Arlington hosted their third annual “Arlington Cares: A Celebration of Volunteerism” event and AFAC was well represented! 48 AFAC volunteers were recognized for serving over 100 volunteer hours for the calendar year. Also, Laura Jackson received the Volunteer Arlington Award, awarded in recognition of an individual who has done exceptional work with volunteer engagement. Before leaving for a position with AHC, Laura was AFAC’s Director of Volunteer Services until October 2018. We are grateful for everyone's service to AFAC and the Arlington community.
Click here to see more pictures featuring our wonderful volunteers with their awards!
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Buy a Bag & Support AFAC!
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Through the month of August, buy a reusable bag at the Giant Food in Penrose Square (2501 9th Rd S, off Columbia Pike) and Giant will donate $1 to AFAC! We also gladly accept donations of reusable bags so families can carry the groceries they receive from AFAC!
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Golf Tournament
Monday, September 16
12:30 pm start
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AFAC's 5th Annual Golf Tournament, sponsored by Credibility International is right around the corner! We are looking for golfers and sponsors to join us for a wonderful day of golfing at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington.
Check out our event page for sponsorship and golfer information and perks!
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Hunger Action Month
September
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Hunger Action Month is a month-long awareness campaign to take action against hunger. Throughout the month of September, AFAC will work with local partners including businesses, libraries, ART Transit, and area farmers to educate the community about food insecurity and to invite all to join in the task of feeding our neighbors in need.
Stay tuned for a list of Hunger Action Month events!
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Volunteer Spotlight: Gleaners
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Gleaning season is upon us and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon! Gleaning is the act of collecting excess FRESH FOODS from farms, gardens, farmers’ markets, grocery stores and any other sources in order to provide to those in need.
This is not a new trend but an ancient practice going back centuries when farmers would leave part of their harvests behind for the less fortunate to collect. Produce costs more than most processed foods and is often harder to access. Gleaning not only provides fresh healthy options to AFAC clients for free but reduces waste at a time where 40% of food in America goes uneaten.
AFAC gleans at eight different Farmers Markets in Arlington every week from May through November and partners with local farms and gardens where volunteers of all ages can sign up to glean as crops become available. So far this year, AFAC has gathered food from
JK Community Farm in Purcellville,
Arcadia Farm in Alexandria, and through the
Society of Saint Andrew near Winchester, as well as from individuals who have opened up their gardens and orchards to AFAC.
Being only halfway through the year, AFAC has brought back over
20,000 lbs of produce such as broccoli, collards, peaches, plums, corn, kale, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers, zucchini and much more. We couldn’t do it without the help of our amazing volunteers!
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Pepper Plots: Some Like it HOT
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Despite the torrid heat that descended on Arlington last month, our gardeners report thriving crops. In particular, pepper harvests have been spectacular. Thank you to the many gardeners -- Episcopal High School botany students in particular -- who grew and donated pepper seedlings to AFAC this spring. And thanks to the many gardeners who tend them.
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Wanted: a carpenter to build/re-build 2 cold frames that have been used at Arlington Central Library's Plot garden. These small cold frames were purchased at Habitat for Humanity Restore several years ago and the lumber is old and needs replacing. Please contact Puwen at
puwen.lee@afac.org for details.
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Garden Talks
Wednesdays, 7 pm
Arlington Central Library
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Our 2019 Garden Talks at Central Library continue! For a full list of topics for the season,
click here.
Upcoming topics:
August 7: Vegetables for Fall & Winter Harvest
August 14: Cover Crops for Healthy Soil
August 21: Lasagna Gardening, Bokachi Composting, Hugelkulture
August 28: NO GARDEN TALK
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Thank you to all those who held food drives or donated to Plot Against Hunger in July!
10th and Barton Community Garden; Aurora Hills Branch Library; Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture; Arlington Church of the Brethren; Arlington Presbyterian Church and Garden; Arlington Traditional School; Arrive Alexandria Apartments; Ball Sellers Garden; Bethel UCC; Brigade of Mercy; Calvary UMC; Cherrydale Branch Library; Central Library & Garden; Clarendon Presbyterian Garden; Columbia Pike Branch Library; Darcie S.; Episcopal High School's Garden; Faith Lutheran Church and Garden; First Presbyterian Church & Garden; Fort Barnard Community Garden; Four Mile Run Garden; Funshine Preschool; Girl Scout Troop #6253; Glebe and Lang Garden Club; Glebe Community Garden; Great Harvest Bread; Hoffman-Boston School Garden; JK Community Farm; Lancaster Co-Op CSA; Little Falls Presbyterian Church; Lorrie Stanton; Loudon Hunger Relief; Marymount University Food For Thought; Mount Vernon Masonry; NOVA Catholic Community; Our Savior Lutheran Church; Penzey's Spices; Potomac Overlook Garden; Reevesland Learning Center Garden; Resurrection Lutheran Church and Garden; Rosslyn Heights Apartments; Rock Spring UCC & Garden; Sila Solutions Group; Shirlington Branch Library; Soldiers That Rise; St. Andrew's Episcopal & Garden; St. Ann's Catholic Church; St. George's Episcopal Church and Garden; St. John's Episcopal; St. Michael's Episcopal; St. Stephen's and St. Agnes Lower School Garden; Susan Howell's Garden; Suburban Virginia Republican Coalition; Territory Foods; TJMS Garden; USDA Agricultural Research Service; UUCA; Walter Reed Annex Garden; Westover Baptist Church; Westover Branch Library & Garden; Women's Club of Arlington
Many thanks to the farmers' markets and farm vendors in Arlington who donate unsold fresh and local produce to AFAC all season long. Participating farmers' markets include Arlington Courthouse, Ballston, Columbia Pike, Crystal City, Fairlington, Marymount, Rosslyn, and Westover.
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Thank you to our Golf Tournament Sponsors!
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Courtney & Brian Tannenbaum
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Fresh News is generously sponsored by Washington Workplace
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Arlington Food Assistance Center | 703.845.8486 |
www.afac.org
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