With a goal of more than 8,000 pounds of nonperishable food donations, St. Bernadette Church in Springfield is prioritizing single-serve food that kids like for the May 21-22 food drive held at its parish and at drop-off locations across the diocese.
The “Summer Hungry Children” food initiative, part of diocesan Catholic Charities St. Lucy Food Project, is hoping to fill the summer void of no school food programs and many donor families traveling. The wish list includes individual servings of tuna, applesauce and fruit cups, cheese or peanut butter crackers, shelf-stable milk, and mac-and-cheese or ravioli — all things kids can easily eat especially when they’re home alone during the summer.
This food drive will be after Masses at St. Bernadette, the first in person since COVID-19 switched it to drive-thru drop-off. St. Lucy staffers expect this will increase food donations. People can also drop off donations at Christ House in Alexandria; Loudoun Regional Office food pantry in Sterling, and Loaves and Fishes in Front Royal. St. Lucy will work with other parishes throughout the summer to designate food drives as collections for the Summer Hungry Children initiative.
According to Fairfax County’s website and the Feeding America Impact of Coronavirus on Food Insecurity projections (published March 29, 2021), the food insecurity rate in Fairfax County is at 7.4 percent in 2021, up from 5.8 percent in 2019. Also, the inflation rate in March was 8.5 percent.
Catholic Charities said one in four “food insecure” people — meaning they don’t know where their next meal is coming from — in the Arlington diocese are children.
Find out more
Go to ccda.net/give-help/donate-and-distribute-food or call 703/479-2975, ext. 103.
