St. John's Bags 1,200 Pounds of Produce for the Needy: Join in to Bag More on Dec. 13
9/6/2013
St. John's has been collecting packaged and canned food for many years for the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). Now it is expanding its outreach by forming teams to bag produce and other groceries at the AFAC facility on an ongoing basis.
On Saturday afternoon August 3, 2013, and again on August 31, eleven parishioners from St. John's took part in bagging fresh produce at the AFAC facility at 2708 South Nelson Street, Arlington. At the first session they bagged over 1200 pounds (60+ crates) of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, corn, peaches and other produce. (At right, clockwise from left: Kim Houghton, Lynn Robinson, Faye Pritchard, Dave Dunlap, Debbie Carter, and Pete Olivere. Kay Wells is hidden at the back. For additional pictures, please click here.)
Starting October 11, we are scheduled to bag produce from 6:30 to 7:30 pm the second Friday in each even-numbered month. If you are interested in joining us, please get in touch with Faye Pritchard at 703-931-2168 or at pritchardpix@aol.com. Teens are welcome, and we would also be glad to include friends, neighbors, relatives--anyone who wants to help. A good number of parishioners are already signed up, but we can always use more as we continue to build up our teams.
During our sessions, most of our volunteers stand to bag the produce, but there are also opportunities to unload the incoming vans or to sit to cut and tie the mesh bags in which the produce is packed. Transportation is provided for any member of the team who needs it.
Those who participated in at least one session in August were Debbie Carter and son Rob, Carolyn Corlett, Dave and Carol Dunlap, Kim Houghton, Billie Jean Keith, Stacy O'Connor along with husband Ray and daughter Caitlin, Pete Olivere, Bill and Faye Pritchard, Lynn Robinson, Kay Wells, Sandy Winger, and the Rev. Ann Barker.
The teams are working to meet the needs of over 1600 families referred to AFAC by the Arlington County government and by local churches, schools, and social service agencies--the elderly who might have to choose between food and medicine, families whose breadwinner brings in a wage too low to meet the family's needs, the disabled, and homeless children, among others. A few hours of volunteering makes a difference for them.
Please get in touch with Faye Pritchard at 703-931-2168 or at pritchardpix@aol.com for more information, to volunteer, or to request transportation.
