Lean on Us

Determined Charities Feed the Forgotten

By Ryan Robertson

Photography by Rhoda Shirk

Those affected by chronic hunger aren’t always who we expect them to be. Many people around affluent metropolitan areas like ours are at risk. Working families, homeowners and the elderly are faced with difficult decisions every day—like having to choose between buying groceries or paying for medicine/bills/much needed-childcare. In fact, just over five percent of all Northern Virginians live below the poverty line.

That’s where charitable organizations come in.

The Department of Agriculture estimates that over 96 billion pounds of food is thrown away annually. The Capital Area Food Bank tries to counter this wastefulness by collecting up to 20 million pounds of food, all of which is shared with other local hunger relief efforts.

CAFB has been feeding the hungry for over three decades now. It distributes, on average, over 1.5 million meals to 360,000 residents per month through a network of 700 partner agencies, which include fellow philanthropic organizations like D.C. Central Kitchen and Catholic Charities, who very much depend on these donations. Over 14,000 people volunteer annually, saving CAFB over $1.7 million in administrative and salary costs.

“Awareness is important because we have to continuously keep local hunger at the forefront as an important issue,” CAFB communications manager Shamia Holloway stresses. “Food is the most basic human right, so we must make legislators, policy makers and the community as a whole aware in order to foster support.”

According to the CAFB website, 92 cents of every donated dollar goes directly toward the cause. It also strives to educate, empower and enlighten the community about malnutrition through an assortment of classes and seminars. Helping the elderly, sick and young children remains their primary focus. Donations of food and money make this possible.

Closer to home, Food & Friends, a Fairfax-based group committed to caring for those suffering from life-threatening illnesses, prepares and delivers specialized meals to those most in need of assistance.

“Working with Food & Friends is a rewarding experience for the obvious reasons … helping and working on behalf of those in need,” Food & Friends communications manager Lisa Webster says, adding, “The real nourishment that it provides is in learning and knowing that people truly care about their neighbors.” She notes that their annual fundraiser, Dining Out For Life, was once again a huge success, collecting well over $250,000.

Food for Others is Northern Virginia’s safety net for the growing number of those who are unable to make ends meet—AKA, the “food insecure.” Direct assistance is offered through over 30 sister organizations that range from shelters to church programs.

The Giving Effect does the humanitarian thing at the national level, matching potential donors with multiple charities and distributing donations to those most in need. Users can browse the site categorically by needs, location or cause. You then can arrange for a pickup, drop-off or shipment.

All of these organizations can use almost anything you can spare, including your time.

Get Involved
Capital Area – www.capitalareafoodbank.org
Food & Friends – www.foodandfriends.org
Food for Others – www.foodforothers.org
The Giving Effect – www.thegivingeffect.com

(June 2011)