Annandale Christian Community for Action (ACCA)
Annandale Christian Community for Action

ACCA Named ‘One of the Best’ Nonprofits by the Catalogue for Philanthropy

After an intentional application and selection process, the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington has selected Annandale Christian Community for Action (ACCA) to be part of the Class of 2021-22. ACCA has undergone a rigorous review process conducted by a team of 170+ local community advocates, and has been found to be a critical local nonprofit. Potential donors can be confident that the nonprofits in the Catalogue are worthy of their support. ACCA is a church-related voluntary 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. Read more.
Child Development Center

During the pandemic, the ACCA Child Development Center(CDC) continued to provide excellent early childhood education to families in the community. As of April, there were 194 children enrolled.

Many of the parents who use ACCA are frontline workers with few child-care options, so to remain open during the pandemic, many of the staff brought their school-age children to the center so they could log on for virtual school while their parents worked their shifts.

The CDC serves many of Annandale’s working-class, immigrant families. About 90 percent of the children enrolled in ACCA — all aged zero to five — are eligible for government subsidies and, for a large majority, English is their second language.

ACCA is proud of our CDC and its long history of giving our youngest neighbors an excellent foundation for a successful future.
Food Pantry Collections Continue

We will be collecting food donations this summer on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays with the exception of County Holidays and other scheduled closings from 1 – 4:30 pm at the food pantry located at 7200 Columbia Pike (trailer separate from the day care center) in Annandale. Please do not drop off food if a volunteer is not available. 

For July and August there will be no Saturday hours.

Pantry volunteers are required to follow social distancing guidelines. While volunteering at the pantry we encourage visitors to keep the health and safety of our volunteers in mind when donating. An updated list of needed items is available. https://accacares.org/foodpantry/

Call 703/256-9513 or email info@accacares.org for more information.
Ministry Updates
Rebuilding Together

Rebuilding Together/Arlington-Fairfax-Falls Church (RT-AFF) has been using small teams of volunteers and contractors to make critical repairs in small projects through the Rebuilding Together Express program. Teams of up to 10 volunteers could make repairs or do yard work in September and October. RT-AFF staff continues to assess the list of homeowners who have requested help with repairs.

Family Emergency Assistance

In May, 26 households received financial assistance from ACCA for rent and utilities. The total amount provided for the month was $37,000.

Food Pantry

In May, there were 64 food deliveries and 23 gift card mailings. This was assistance that served 252 clients in 87 households.
 
Special thanks to the following groups who supported the pantry this month. Ravensworth Baptist Church hosted a food drive at the pantry on Saturday May 27th that netted almost 800 pounds of food. Other large food donations were from the Annandale Giant, Saint Michaels Catholic Church, Mclean Bible Church and Friendship United Methodist Church. Many other churches, organizations and individuals also contributed food throughout the month.
Furniture Ministry

Beginning in the spring, the furniture program has been able to successfully collaborate with the County's Coordinated Service Program in making deliveries and pickups of vitally needed furniture to the clients. Many thanks to our volunteers who pitched in during 2 Saturdays during the month of May. The groups from the Latter Day Saints and Mt. Pleasant Baptist were able to serve 8 clients and 4 households. The volunteers from Providence and John Calvin Presbyterian Churches served 10 clients and 4 households.

Transportation

In the month of May the combined ACCA-Shepherd’s Center medical transportation program provided 59 two-way rides.

CROP Walk

Mark your calendars for the 2021 Crop Walk which will be held October 16, 2021.
In its 53rd year, ACCA continues to provide high quality child care and serves as a principal source of emergency assistance, including food, furniture and financial support, for our vulnerable neighbors.
ACCA remains committed to the challenge of Jesus, as described in Matthew 25:40: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”