This month AARP reached out with Our Daily Bread to help Fairfax county residents with food assistance for needy families. As part of AARP’s Annual Statewide Community Food Drive, AARP Virginia volunteers collected food at the Kingstowne Giant on Sept. 12-13 for Our Daily Bread, a local food pantry that has been helping needy Fairfax families for 30 years. Eight grocery carts full of food were collected and $80 worth of gift cards.
Recent reports have shown that hunger and food security are significant problems. Food donations have decreased substantially since the last recession. Our Daily Bread reports that far more requests for food assistance are received from qualified families than can be filled. In Fairfax County, more than 62,000 residents live below the poverty line (defined as an annual income of $22,000 for a family of four), and another 86,000 live just above poverty (Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services, Putting Food on the Table, December 2011). The AARP Virginia State office has stepped up programming around the issue of hunger in Fairfax and across Virginia in response to this need. AARP Virginia teamed up with service groups and volunteers to organize a week-long community food drive in September. This food drive in Alexandria is a part of AARP’s commitment across Virginia.
This effort was organized by AARP Volunteer Elsie Hasting with support from Amber Nightingale, Associate State Director for Community Outreach, and 10 local volunteers. As a result of their efforts less will be hungry.