May 2023

Volunteer Recognition Awards

Volunteers are our lifesavers! Each year, the staff of the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) gathers to recognize the volunteers who have contributed significantly to AFAC’s mission and work. This year, we are pleased to announce the recognition of several volunteers and community partners who have gone above and beyond in the furtherance of AFAC’s mission:

Individual of the Year: Donna Budway

Group of the Year: Distribution Team at The Carlin

Teen volunteers of the Year: Frances and Harriet Shapiro

Community Partners of the Year: Alex Pomper (Give a Kid a Book) and Edu-Futuro

2080 Volunteer: Ken Edwards [pictured above]. This award recognizes those who have volunteered in their lifetime 2,080 hours as it represents the value a person who works 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, accumulates. Ken is the 8^th person in AFAC history to get this recognition.

We will honor these volunteers and those who have reached certain service milestones at our annual Volunteer Recognition Program in June. Though we wish we could honor ALL of our volunteers, space constraints prevent us from having an “open house”. We are grateful for all of our volunteers who cumulatively provide AFAC with an average of 40,000 volunteer hours each year.

Upcoming AFAC Events

Ninth Annual Golf Tournament

September 18

AFAC's Ninth Annual Golf Tournament, sponsored by Williams and Connolly, will be held on Monday, September 18 at the Army Navy Country Club! Sponsorships are now available. Click here to secure your spot and to learn more!

AFAC Updates

Annual Client Survey Report

Every year, the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) conducts an in-depth survey to gather client feedback. Responses help AFAC adapt its services and programs to best meet the needs of the community. In February and March 2023, AFAC surveyed 1,501 participants, a 50.6% response rate. Click here to read the full report and view the full infographic!

Spring Event Photos

Our annual Spring celebration, Shining a Light on Hunger, was a huge success! Thank you to our top sponsor, Amazon, as well as to everyone who sponsored, attended, and volunteered their time to help us light up the night. Your support not only provides food to our families, but stability and comfort to our neighbors when they need it most. To see our entire photo album, click here.

Volunteer Updates

Volunteer Appreciation Week

Volunteer Appreciation Week was April 17 - 21. To show our appreciation, AFAC's Volunteer Department put together some special treats for our volunteers with the help of some local businesses. Click here to see a recap of our fun filled week!

Upcoming Community Events

Arlington Community Chorus

June 3

Join the Arlington Community Chorus on Saturday, June 3, for an evening of music benefitting AFAC! Hosted by Arlington Presbyterian Church, this outdoor event will be located in the community garden on the corner of 9th and Lincoln. Food is available for purchase at 6pm from “The Café” food truck run by Kitchen of Purpose. Music begins at 7pm and will end by 8pm. This event is free with no registration required.

We are currently looking for volunteers who would be able to represent AFAC at this event. If you are interested, please email volunteer@afac.org.

Special Thanks

Stamp Out Hunger

Thank you to everyone who donated to the Stamp Out Hunger food drive last weekend! We were thrilled to be able to participate in this event once again, which would not be possible without the hard work of the National Association of Letter Carriers and all the local letter carriers that collected food donations to bring to AFAC. This weekend, we received 5,199 pounds of food, all of which will help us feed every family that comes to our doors. Special thanks to all the volunteers who helped us quickly sort the donations into food categories on Saturday as the food arrived at AFAC.

Click here for more Stamp Out Hunger photos!

Mount Olive Baptist Church

A huge thank you to Mount Olive Baptist Church for donating 2,464 pounds of food this April! We are so grateful for their support and food donations that will help feed all of our families this spring.

Discovery Elementary

Thank you so much to Discovery Elementary for holding a food drive for AFAC. Not only did they collect 744 pounds of food donations, but they also created these brown bags [see photo] with inspiring artwork and messages that will allow AFAC to make emergency food kits to distribute to our neighbors in need.