Fairfax County is the second richest county in the United States, yet many children who live there go hungry. According to Fairfax County Public Schools, 28% of students qualify for free and reduced-price meals. Making sure kids are fed while they are in school partially combats this issue. But we need to ensure they’re fed outside of school hours.
Assistance League of Northern Virginia has created the Weekend Food for Kids program to fight this very issue. The program started in 2010 and provides supplemental food for children during the weekends when school meals are not available. With support from donors like Dominion Energy, Assistance League of Northern Virginia gave over 17,000 bags of food to children in need during the 2018-2019 school year.
“We started out with 500 bags; now we’re at 1,800 bags a month,” says Lynn Barron of Assistance League. This growth could not have happened without volunteers and significant help from donors. “Dominion Energy provides the manpower and the trucks.”
Dominion Energy and Assistance League are hoping even more bags will be provided to students in need in 2020.
