June 2022
Did You Know?
As people move into our increasingly expensive area from locations far and near, they often ask for help from Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning (703-222-0880). They are then connected to services and resources that promote self-sufficiency and enhance well-being. If the resident lives within the Annandale/Baileys/Lincolnia area, ACCA may be contacted and then provides much-needed services including food, rental assistance, furniture and other household items.
Furniture Ministry Delivers!
 The ACCA Furniture team provided furniture to 3 households! Pictured above is the June 11 team including Mary Lee Di Spirito, Co-Chair of the ACCA Furniture Ministry, Elder Verhaaren, Elder Galbbraith, Elder Chapman, Elder Ellis, Brother Joshua Bagley, Brother Johnathan Kelly (Annandale Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS)), Doug Mairena (St. Alban's Episcopal Church). Volunteers not pictured: Jorge Lopez (St. Anthony's Catholic Church), Sherman Anderson and Craig Cole (LDS). Photo credit: Stella Goings (LDS).
The ACCA furniture ministry has worked for over 45 years to help provide local residents with safe and comfortable furnishings and household items. Over the past 23 years, ACCA's furniture ministry has provided essential furniture and household items to more than 24,000 individuals through more than 12,000 deliveries! This important ministry makes an immediate impact on the quality of the lives of clients it serves. We deliver to families in a variety of situations including those who have relocated to this area from far and near as well as to those who may be transitioning from homelessness.

The coordinators of the program, Don and Mary Lee Dispirito, have managed this ministry for more than two decades. After receiving an offer of a donation, they schedule a pickup on an upcoming Saturday morning. As they receive requests from Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning, they schedule the deliveries and lead the volunteer teams assembled from the various ACCA churches in twice-monthly trips to pick up donations and deliver to families in need. Read the full story.

Can you help? We currently need more space to store the generous donations before they are delivered to a new home. Contact furniture@accacares.org if you have space to offer. Find out more.
Kudos to the Child Development Center

The ACCA Child Development Center (CDC) was recently awarded the Virginia Quality Level 4 Certification! Very few child care centers in Virginia achieve this level of excellence and we are proud of this achievement.

Virginia’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) awards quality levels (between 1 and 5) to child care and preschool programs based on nationally recognized quality standards and best practices.
groceries
Food Drive June 18

On Saturday - June 18, 2022, from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., drop by the STUFF THE CRUISER Food Drive at the Giant Food Store at 7137 Columbia Pike in Annandale. Don't be alarmed, there will be a police cruiser (!) filled with food which will be taken to the ACCA food pantry.

Find out what is most needed here - ACCA - Annandale Christian Community for Action .

Thank you to the Baileys Crossroads Rotary Club, Mason District Station of the Fairfax County Police Department and Giant Food for their support!
Critical Volunteer Needs
transportation
Volunteer to Drive (Flexible schedule)

We urgently need volunteer drivers who drive local seniors in Annandale, Springfield, and sections of Alexandria to medical appointments during the week and grocery shopping on weekends. Even if you have a limited amount of time to volunteer, this is a wonderful way to touch the lives of people who desperately need this service. You determine when, where, and how often you drive. ACCA partners with the Shepherd's Center of Annandale Springfield for this important ministry. Call 703-941-1419 (M-F 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.) or email shepherdscas@vacoxmail.com

Please contact us and we'll give you the details. Find out more about volunteering with ACCA.

Volunteer with the Annandale United Methodist Church (AUMC) Mission Center!

During the pandemic, the AUMC Mission Center on Heritage Drive in Annandale grew from sharing food with 70 families in our community each week to over 300 per week. We now distribute food three days a week (M,Th,F), with our biggest distribution on Thursday evenings. We invite the community to join us in sharing food with our neighbors by volunteering with us one day this summer. Volunteers can help us pack bags, unload deliveries, and distribute food and other items, including diapers and children’s clothing. Please sign up using our volunteer form linked hereYou must sign up by noon on the Thursday you wish to serve. Walk-ins are not allowed. Questions? Contact Rev. Nicole Crouch, Director of Mission at ncrouch@annandale-umc.org.
postal worker
Monthly Ministry Updates for May

Food Pantry
In May the pantry provided food for 62 households and 193 individuals. We welcomed donations of over 9,000 lbs. in food which is the most we have received this year. Thanks to the Annandale Post Office (pictured here), Knights of Columbus/Queen of Apostles and Ravensworth Baptist Church for successful food drives and thank you to all of the volunteers who showed up to help transport and shelve more than 4 tons of food!

Family Emergency Assistance
This team provided rental assistance for 17 households during May many of whom owed for several months. They distributed funds in excess of $29K including $24K for rental assistance and more than $5K in utilities assistance.

Furniture
The furniture teams worked one Saturday in May with volunteers from St. Anthony's, St. Alban's, and Paul VI High School. They were able to complete a large delivery of furniture to a gentleman who had just moved to permanent housing from a shelter and also picked up donations from 5 households.

Transportation
The ACCA-Shepherd’s Center joint transportation program provided 40 2-way rides to medical appointments, but was unable to provide 13 rides requested (25%). We desperately need new drivers! Rides can be provided on your own schedule; no commitment is required. If you would like more information call the Shepherd’s Center directly at 703-941-1419, Monday to Friday from 10 to 1.  Volunteers are needed for this important ministry.

Neighbor to Neighbor
We are in the process of making plans for the summer. We have an ongoing need for tutors who have an ESL background and others who would like to volunteer with our program. Contact Nadia Fitzcharles (nadia@sharingpeace.org) for more information. 

Crop Walk
The 2022 Annandale CROP Hunger Walk is planned for October 15, tentatively at Lake Accotink Park. The committee is considering options for using the park while avoiding sections closed for construction. The 2021 Annandale CROP Hunger Walk raised a total of $17,665 in check, donations for Church World Service (CWS), and CWS returned a total of $4416.15 to ACCA for our local programs.
Annandale Christian Community for Action