Giant Food Celebrates Renovated Store With Gift to Food Pantry

Store now has six self-checkout lanes.

Giant Food celebrated renovations to its Virginia Square grocery store on Friday with a ribbon-cutting and a gift to the Arlington Food Assistance Center. The store, at 3450 Washington Blvd., now has a larger produce section, new soup-and-salad bar and six new self-checkout lanes. To celebrate the grand reopening, Giant Food Store Manager Jeff Lewis gave a $2,500 check to the Arlington Food Assistance Center, or AFAC. AFAC Executive Director Charles Meng was on hand to accept the gift. Want to get articles on Arlington County delivered to your inbox every day? Sign up for the Arlington Patch or Clarendon Patch newsletter.

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AFAC to Host 'Hunger is No Joke' Fundraiser in Rosslyn

Arlington Food Assistance Center fundraiser is Friday evening at Cafe Asia.

The Arlington Food Assistance Center is hosting its ‘Hunger is No Joke’ benefit this Friday. AFAC serves 1,400 families in Arlington each week, according to a press release from the non profit that provides groceries to families in need. The organization’s Young Professionals group hosts the annual fundraiser, now in its third year.  The event starts at 8 p.m., with music starting at 9 p.m. at Café Asia in Rosslyn. Over the Line will be provide live music, and there will also be a raffle and silent auction with items from the Washington Capitals, Port City Brewing, and other locations. Last year’s event raised just over $5,000 for AFAC.  Advance tickets are available online for $25 each or $45 for a pair. On-site ticket prices are $30 for …

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Arlington County Sheriff's Office Collects 3,800-Plus Pounds of Food

Arlington firefighters still collecting food.

The Arlington County Sheriff's Office collected more than 3,800 pounds of food for the Arlington Food Assistance Center. The office held a "friendly competition" between the courthouse and detention facility, according to a news release. In the end, the contest was declared a tie, with each section contributing half of the food raised. Still want to contribute? Arlington County firefighters are collecting non-perishable food through Friday. Donations can be brought to any Arlington or Falls Church city fire station or the first-floor lobby of the Arlington County Government Center at 2100 Clarendon Blvd. On average, the food pantry feeds 1,600 families in Arlington each week.

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Arlington Gives Back

Arts+Pints Event to Benefit Food Pantry

The Saturday afternoon event is sponsored by the Arlington chapter of Green Drinks.

The “Arts+Pints Bazaar” on Columbia Pike will feature local artists, music, and beer for the event supporting the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) this weekend. “It’s just fun, it’s a little bit different, and this year we are hoping it's all that more special because we are hosting it in a different area in South Arlington,” said Genevieve Concannon, an organizer for the event. Twelve local artists will be on hand selling goods for the Saturday event sponsored by the Arlington chapter of Green Drinks and Sweet Root Village. Green Drinks is an international organization that sponsors events for those in the energy and sustainability industries. Sweet Root Village is an Alexandria-based business that provides eco-friendly wedding …

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Firefighters to Collect Food for the Arlington Food Assistance Center

Food drive benefiting the Arlington Food Assistance Center starts Saturday.

Arlington County firefighters will collect food for the needy starting Saturday. “It’s a myth that no one in Arlington goes hungry,” Arlington County Fire Chief James Schwartz said in a news release. The Arlington County Fire Department along with the Arlington Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association is collecting food for the Arlington Food Assistance Center, or AFAC. Every week, on average, AFAC serves 1,600 families in Arlington. The drive runs through Dec. 21. The items that are most needed are: Bring non-perishable donations to any fire station in Arlington or the city of Falls Church, or the Arlington County Government Center, Courthouse Plaza Lobby, 2100 Clarendon Blvd. Find your Arlington fire station.

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Registration Open for Arlington Turkey Trot 5K

Thanksgiving morning race expected to draw 3,000 runners.

Registration is now open for the seventh annual Turkey Trot 5K Race hosted by the Christ Church of Arlington. The fun run/walk is expected to draw 3,000 people and goes through the Lyon Park and Ashton Heights neighborhoods at 8 a.m. Thanksgiving day, according to the church’s website. Organizers say the race fills up soon, so potential runners are encouraged to register early. The race starts off at the corner of Pershing Drive and North Highland Street, the website states. It supports these local charities: the Arlington-Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless (AACH), Doorways for Women and Families, and the Arlington Food Assistance Center. The race has raised more than $100,000 for the charities during the past five years. Register for …

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Arlington Boy Scouts are Collecting Food Donations This Weekend

Arlington Boy Scouts will be collecting food donations to help local families in need.

Arlington Boy Scouts will be out in force Saturday, collecting food donations as part of their annual Scouting for Food effort. If you received a bag along with a flier asking you to donate food to the Arlington Food Assistance Center last weekend, you can expect a group of Boy Scouts to stop by your house this Saturday morning to pick up donations. Arlington Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs have partnered with the Arlington Food Assistance Center to host Scouting for Food. Last Saturday the boys walked the neighborhoods of Arlington County, leaving fliers and donation bags on porches and doorsteps. This Saturday starting at 9 a.m. the scouts will be returning to those same porches and doorsteps to collect bags that have been filled …

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Firefighters Battle Chefs in Rosslyn Food Challenge

The event benefiting the Arlington Food Assistance Center takes place Wednesday in Rosslyn.

Fire chiefs will take on restaurant chefs at an event benefiting the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) Wednesday evening. “We wanted to do something new,” said Joy Myers, of AFAC. “A lot of events that nonprofits host are cocktail receptions and silent auctions…this was something different.” The organization wanted to go with something food-centric for the fall fundraiser, and had heard of other cooking challenges in the area, so the idea for “Chiefs Vs. Chefs” was born. The groups will compete for the Golden Eggplant award. All proceeds from the event benefit the nonprofit food assistance center, which served 80,000 clients last year and distributed 1.9 million pounds of food to needy Arlingtonians. The chefs will hail from …

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National Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Is Saturday

Residents are encouraged to leave one bag of non-perishable food at their mailboxes by 9 a.m. Saturday for their carriers to pick up and take to the local food pantry.

Letter carriers all over the United States will be looking to pick up more than just mail this weekend. Saturday is the official day of the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, an initiative of the U.S. Postal Service and the National Association of Letter Carriers. Residents can do their part by leaving at least one bag of non-perishable food at their mailboxes or wherever their mail is normally left by 9 a.m. Saturday. The carrier will pick up the food and take it to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). Donations also can be taken to any Arlington post office. Stamp Out Hunger is the Arlington pantry's second-largest food drive of the year, according to a news release. More than 50 volunteers will help this weekend. Last year, Arlington …

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Nonprofits, Community Groups Make Case for Tax Dollars

Arlington County Board holds public hearing on proposed $1.03 billion budget.

The 44-year-old homeless man who was found dead in Virginia Square this week was a client of the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network. “He grew up here, he went to our schools and he died on our streets,” said Kathy Sibert, A-SPAN’s executive director. About 25 percent of A-SPAN’s annual budget, including emergency winter shelter operations, comes from county tax coffers. The organization is asking for $50,000 more for a full-time caseworker for the 100 Homes campaign. So far, 15 people have been placed in housing as part of that program. Eighty-five remain. “I lost a friend this week. Behind a Dumpster. I talked to him every day,” said the Rev. Richard E. Cobb, pastor of Central United Methodist Church of Arlington. “I lost a …

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