National Rebuilding Day

The National Rebuilding Day will be on April 27. ACCA will repair two houses this year. The house captains leading both teams have visited our assigned houses and are working with Rebuilding Together Arlington-Fairfax-Falls Church to plan the project work. Both projects are group homes in Springfield operated by the Hartwood Foundation, which serves individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. One team will include members of St. Barnabas’ Episcopal and Annandale United Methodist churches and the second team will include members of Ravensworth Baptist, John Calvin Presbyterian, and Providence Presbyterian churches.

We welcome additional volunteers at all skill levels. Youth must be at least 14 years old. Interested volunteers should contact Ken Mittelholtz at kcmittelholtz@gmail.com or the lead from participating churches.

In Memoriam

One of the pillars of ACCA recently passed away. Don Dispirito acted as President and Vice President and led the furniture program at ACCA for decades along with his wife Mary Lee. This unique ACCA program collects donated furniture and household goods and delivers them to local families.

A Memorial Mass will be held at St Anthony of Padua Catholic Church at noon on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 3305 Glen Carlyn Rd. Falls Church, VA 22041, a reception to follow. In place of flowers, contributions in Don's memory can be made to the ACCA Furniture Program.

Volunteer Appreciation Month

ACCA is honored to recognize the contributions of our food pantry manager, Jean Rackowski, as she has served in the pantry for over 30 years! Jean began working in the ACCA food pantry in 1992 and has been the chair of the program or pantry manager since 1994!

The ACCA food pantry delivers nutritious food to families with an emergency need for food, as identified by Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning and other social workers or churches.

In 2023, Jean led the pantry in providing food for 1332 families in need of the delivery of emergency food in the Annandale/Culmore/Bailey’s Crossroads areas of Fairfax County, including 4234 individuals. Food needs currently are at their highest level since FY 2021.

For more than 30 years, Jean has been the backbone of the food pantry, overseeing its operation daily. Her dedication and selflessness are unmatched! Several years ago, snow, ice, and rain caused the pantry roof to cave in. With the help of volunteers, Jean moved all the food to her basement. She operated the Food Pantry out of her home for nearly a year, until the County obtained and installed the current trailer. View our tribute to Jean on this Kudoboard.

Did You Know? In the 1970s, the Food Pantry was located in the auditorium of the Annandale Elementary School, which is now home to the ACCA Child Development Center. However, the auditorium became too dangerous to be used and had to be torn down.

ACCA's annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic will be Sunday, May 19 at Mason District Park Picnic Shelter A, at 12:30 p.m. All Volunteers are welcome! If you haven't received your invitation, contact volunteers@accacares.org.

Pictured above: Jean Rackowski in the ACCA food pantry.

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Thank you

Thank you for the great community support for the food pantry over the last month including:

400 lbs of food and $70 in cash at Stuff the Bus on Saturday, March 16. Thanks to Giant and Fairfax County for partnering with us for this event.
Several bags of food from the Mason District Government Center which has provided a location for our collection box on weekdays between 9 and 5. Many thanks to Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez and his staff for their support.
Rotary Club of Bailey's Crossroads and the Mason District Police Dept held a successful Stuff the Cruiser event on April 13 at the Annandale Giant to collect food for ACCA.

Remember to finish your personal Lenten Food Drive for the 40 days of Lent. Contributions can be dropped off at the food pantry on weekdays between 1:30 and 4 p.m. or at the Government Center on weekdays between 9 and 5.

Our next community food drive will be in partnership with the Annandale Post office at the annual Stamp Out Hunger program on Saturday, May 11. The postal carriers will collect food from your doorstep and deliver it to the ACCA food pantry. Put your food near your mailbox on Saturday, May 11! Here is a list of what we need.

Food Pantry Partners

During the past few months, ACCA has benefited from donations from Whole Foods and Panera Bread who have provided the food pantry with almost 3000 lbs. of food.

Thank you also to Mason District Supervisor Jimenez for his support while we collect food at the Government center on weekdays.

Impact Report

	Individuals	Households	Amount
Family emergency assistance	158	58	$54,287
Food and Nutrition	328	111
Furniture	6	2
Transportation	28	28
Total	520	199

Eid al Fitr

On Saturday, April 13, Afghan families and volunteers for Neighbor to Neighbor (NTN) gathered at Peace Lutheran for a special celebration for Eid al Fitr (the end of Ramadan).

Some of our volunteers provided special Afghan baked goods and Afghan tea for all while we spent some informal time together as we continued to enlarge our understanding of one another’s cultures (Tea and Talk). One of the Afghan women who is studying English through our program gave a presentation on Ramadan and children were invited to spend time with games and reading activities.

Volunteer Opportunities

Furniture Volunteers

The ACCA furniture team needs volunteers on Friday mornings twice a month.

Volunteers will be loading the furniture trucks with items to be delivered on Saturdays. Items include bedding (mattresses and box springs), dressers, tables and chairs, end tables, coffee tables, sofas, and assorted small items including linens. Work begins at 10:30 on Friday mornings and is usually completed by noon. Contact furniture@accacares.org or complete the form here.

Financial Analyst

ACCA is looking for a volunteer with a finance background to analyze a provided set of best practices for nonprofit financial management and then provide advice on areas for improvement and growth. This would involve meeting with current finance committee members and participating in a short series of nonprofit finance management best practices webinars. The role can be done remotely. A basic understanding of Quickbooks, MIP, or other accounting systems is helpful. Respond to volunteers@accacares.org

Community Events

Children's Clothing Collection

The Annandale Mission Center distributes children's clothing to families in need. Boys' and girls' clothing are needed in sizes from 2T through 16. Clothing may be dropped off at the Mission Center at 7901 Heritage Drive in Annandale. If a volunteer is not on site please leave clothes in the wooden box outside the double red doors. The mission center is part of one of our ACCA member churches, Annandale United Methodist Church.

Eileen Garnett Civic Space Earth Day Celebration

Are you looking to learn more about being a good friend to our planet? Join the Eileen Garnett Civic Space Earth Day Celebration! Save the date for Saturday, April 27 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Annandale Pop-Up Park (7200 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003). Learn more. Other upcoming events planned for the civic space include:

May 25^th – Asian Heritage Month

June 29^th – Fitness

July 13^th – Food trucks and movie night

July 27^th – Dog Days of Summer

August 17^th – Art Appreciation

September 21^st – Taste of Annandale

October 19^th – Fall Festival

November/December – Winter Celebration/Winter Lights

ACCA is a community-based organization providing day care, food, rental assistance, furniture, and other services to low-income families in the Annandale/Bailey’s Crossroads area. What counts most in ACCA is serving those in need.

Please consider dropping off food at the pantry on Tuesday-Friday afternoons between 1:30 and 4 p.m. or at the Mason District Government Center on weekdays form 9 - 5 and at many local churches. At the pantry, be sure to deliver your donations to a volunteer, please don't leave food unattended.

Can you help? ACCA needs volunteers to help with the increased demand for food by accepting donations and also for delivery drivers. Contact volunteers@accacares.org