NVFS seeks volunteers for virtual canned food drives.
(Oakton, Va., – Sept. 1, 2015) All month long volunteers across America will take action to fight hunger in their community. This is an opportunity to join the movement to make a significant impact for families in Northern Virginia. In honor of Hunger Action Month, Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) is seeking volunteers to collect a minimum of 30 cans of food, one for each day in September, to benefit the Hunger Resource Center (HRC) at SERVE. Once 30 or more cans have been collected, volunteers are being asked to snap a selfie with their cans and share it via Facebook with the hashtag #30cans to encourage their friends and family to participate.
Recently The Washington Post reported that food banks across the country are seeing a rise in demand despite the growth in our economy. According to the latest statistics from Feeding America, 28,650 residents of Prince William County lack access to adequate and safe foods. Often families turn to the HRC to stave off the difficult decision of choosing between paying for food or paying for gas or utilities.
Every month the HRC provides food to more than 800 families. Pam Ryan, director of anti-hunger programs, implemented changes to the HRC including expanding evening and weekend hours, adding an appointment-only system, increasing SNAP outreach, and adding nutrition education classes with cooking demonstrations. She notes that these changes are a commitment “to improving the overall health of our clients and ending hunger in our community.”
Volunteers are asked to please deliver all canned goods by the end of September to 10058 Dean Drive, Manassas, VA 20110. The Hunger Resource Center is adjacent to the SERVE Family Shelter. The HRC is open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. For interested students, NVFS will grant volunteer service hours for conducting food drives. Please contact Alyssa Lee, Annual Giving Manager, at alee@nvfs.org for more information.