A state-funded grant that Reston Interfaith depends on to purchase fresh foods, like milk, eggs and produce may be cut by as much as 20 percent, if not more, according to officials from the non-profit human services agency.
The application was submitted on June 6, said Sarah Ince, the Reston Interfaith director of social services.
"We haven't gotten our renewal, yet," executive director Kerrie Wilson said. "The state food grant is in jeopardy." If the cuts are as bad as feared, Wilson said Reston Interfaith won't be able to feed as many families during the summer months.
Last fiscal year, Reston Interfaith helped feed 4,000 individuals and more than 1,200 families in Fairfax County. Ince said that while their food pantry is stocked, donations typically diminish in the summer months when people are traveling. "Everybody forgets in the summer," Kerrie said.
Unfortunately for needy families, this is also a time where children are home, "eating their parents out of house and home," Ince said, adding that Reston Interfaith is always accepting donations, especially cash donations.
Wilson said Reston Interfaith has also contacted the Reston Farmer's Market about donating leftovers from their weekly market in Lake Anne. For information about helping Reston Interfaith, see their Web site at www.restoninterfaith.org.