Food Pantry Ramp Improved by Eagle Scout

Thanks to Eagle Scout Jared Campos and 30 other members of Scout Troop 829 from the Little River Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who recently worked to improve the ramp at ACCA's food pantry. Jared coordinated the repairs and painting of the ramp to accommodate the traffic going in and out of the pantry. This ramp allows groceries to be easily transported from the pantry to the delivery driver's cars and also from donors to the pantry. He also coordinated a food drive which collected over 900 pounds of food.

Jared will be attending Brigham Young University this fall. Congratulations and thank you to Jared and the scout troop! Read more on our website.

Child Development Center News

As they prepare for Kindergarten, the ACCA Child Development Center students and their families celebrated this milestone at the Annandale Fire Station in June.

Field Day at the Child Development Center was full of fun outdoor activities for the children, playing with water, and enjoying the time with their friends.

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Thank You for the Support

Fairfax County recently selected ACCA for a Consolidated Community Funding Pool contract to support our programs from July 2024 – June 2026!

The Fairfax County Consolidated Community Funding Pool (CCFP) is a competitive funding process for human services programs developed and administered by nonprofits and community-based organizations.

The award serves as an investment and catalyst for strengthening the human services network of programs available for Fairfax County residents. ACCA's furniture, family emergency, and food pantry each will receive important funds for its three service programs.

At a time when we're working to meet the needs of local families, this funding is incredibly critical and exciting for our operations! We are deeply thankful to the Fairfax County Government for supporting the work that ACCA continues to do for the Fairfax County Community!

More about the CCFP in Fairfax County.

Food Donations

Thank you for the great community support for the food pantry including:

During the past few months, ACCA has benefited from regular donations from Whole Foods and the collection box at the office of Mason District Supervisor Jimenez. We have also received donations from our member churches and the Connection Wellness Center in Annandale. Thank you to all.

We collect food donations:

at the Mason District Government Center on weekdays between 9 and 5. Many thanks to Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez and his staff for their support.
at the pantry on Tuesday-Friday from 1:30-4 pm, except for County Holidays and other scheduled closings. The ACCA food pantry is located at 7200 Columbia Pike (trailer separate from the daycare center) in Annandale. Please do not drop off food if a volunteer is not available.

These are the items we can use the most:

Soup (preferably chunky style)

Spaghetti sauce (jars)

Crackers (saltines)

Ravioli, spaghettios, etc (16 oz cans)

Toothpaste (large tubes)

Canned peas

Canned carrots

Canned peas and carrots

Masa (Maseca)

Here is a complete list of what we need.

Mural Design for the ACCA Child Development Center

The community got a sneak peek at the mural design for the ACCA Child Development Center building at the Art Appreciation Festival on Aug. 17 at the Eileen Garnett Civic Space in Annandale.

The mural should be mostly completed for the Taste of Annandale, which will be held at the civic space on Sept. 21.

The design, by mural artist Pepe Gaka, features two children standing in a garden and talking to one another with a tin-can phone.

Mark your calendars for these fun events. Upcoming events planned for the civic space between the Child Development Center and the fire station include:

September 21^st – Taste of Annandale

October 19^th – Fall Festival

November/December – Winter Celebration/Winter Lights

Openings at the ACCA Child Development Center

The ACCA Child Development Center (CDC) in Annandale has openings for about 40 children, including 20 slots available under the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI).

The VPI program provides funding to schools and community-based organizations, such as the CDC, to ensure at-risk 4-year-olds not served by Head Start are ready for kindergarten. Participating schools receive additional funds to help eligible children meet their learning goals.

CDC Executive Director Isabel Ballivian urges eligible families to enroll promptly, as children in the VPI program must be attending school by Sept. 30.

To be eligible under VPI, children must be from households with incomes at or below 200 percent of the area’s poverty level, be 3 or 4 years old by Sept. 30, and live in Fairfax County or the City of Fairfax.

Families who do not meet the VPI criteria can enroll at any time. Interested families are invited to come for a tour and meet the staff. The CDC is located at 7200 Columbia Pike, Annandale.

Contact Jenny Chambi, operations manager, at jchambi@accacdc.org or 703-256-0100, for more information on the enrollment process.

Do you have a home garden?

ACCA can distribute fresh produce to clients from your home gardens. Please deliver to the pantry on Tuesday – Wednesday between 1:30 and 4 p.m. (so the produce is delivered to clients before the weekend) at 7200 Columbia Pike in Annandale, VA. Thank you for your help.

Rebuilding Together-AFF (RT-AFF) is working to reach additional homeowners in need of critical home repairs and accessibility modifications.

RT-AFF helps people stay in their homes when they cannot make or pay for repairs themselves. They accomplish this by mobilizing community volunteers and contractors to complete repairs, making homes safer and healthier while helping older adults age in place safely. Applicants must meet income guidelines and complete an application. If you know of a homeowner of modest means who needs help, more information is available at https://rebuildingtogether-aff.org/apply/ . You or the potential applicant can contact Patti Klein at pattik@rebuildingtogether-aff.org or Ken or Camille at

kcmittelholtz@gmail.com .

June Impact Report

	Individuals	Households	Amount
Family emergency assistance	30	11	$12,233.68
Food and Nutrition	334	107
Furniture	20	10
Transportation	28	28
Total	412	156

Volunteer Opportunities

Furniture Volunteers

Are you looking for a weekend volunteer opportunity? The ACCA furniture team needs volunteers pick up donated furniture and deliver to clients on Saturday mornings beginning on September 14. Send an email to furniture@accacares.org or complete the form here.

Money Captain - Fully Remote

This remote role helps coordinate the payment of funds to clients by working by email and phone with social workers from Fairfax County. Money captains work one week per quarter and should be available during business hours to receive emails and phone calls. The average amount of time per week is 8 hours. Basic computer skills are required and training is provided. Contact volunteers@accacares.org for details.

Food Captain - Fully Remote

This remote role helps coordinate the delivery of groceries to clients by working by email and phone with social workers from Fairfax County. Food captains work one week per quarter and should be available during business hours to receive emails and phone calls. The average amount of time per week is 8 hours. Basic computer skills are required and training is provided. Contact volunteers@accacares.org for details.

Drivers needed

Do you have a driver's license, a vehicle, and a few hours per month to help with one of these programs? Schedules are flexible and the commitment is just an hour or two.

1) Drivers for Medical Appointments

Can you help by driving someone to and from a medical appointment? Drivers are needed to provide rides to medical and therapy appointments for persons age 50 or older who cannot drive themselves. If interested, please contact the Shepherd's Center at 703-941-1419 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday through Friday or shepherdscas@vacoxmail.com. This program is a joint effort between Shepherd's Center of Annandale Springfield and ACCA.

2) Food Delivery Drivers

ACCA is looking for food delivery drivers to deliver food to needy clients within the Annandale/Bailey's Crossroads area. There is no fixed commitment. Drivers can work weekly or every few weeks or less as it fits their schedules each week. Deliveries are between 1:30 and about 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. Drivers receive food referrals from the food captain, contact the client to ensure they will be home, pick up pre-packed food at the pantry, and drive to the client’s residence. The time involved is usually less than an hour. Complete the volunteer interest form.

Upoming Events

Fall Food Drives

Mark your calendar for the fall ACCA Food Pantry Drives scheduled on September 6, October 4, and November 8 from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at the Annandale Giant Foods, 7137 Columbia Pike, Annandale.

Upon entering the Giant Food location, shoppers will be offered a list of items the ACCA pantry needs most. Once purchased, shoppers can deposit their donations directly to the waiting Mason District Police cruiser parked conveniently at the curb by the store exit. Those donations from your home pantry or not purchased at Giant Food can also be dropped at the police cruiser by the Giant Foods exit. These drives are sponsored by the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) and the Mason District Police Station with support from Giant Food.

Mark your calendars for the annual Scouting for Food on Saturday, November 9.

CROP Walk

Please save Saturday October 12 for the Annandale CROP Hunger Walk.

The 2024 Annandale CROP Hunger Walk will be held Saturday October 12 at Lake Accotink Park (please note the new date). Registration will start at 8 a.m. near the marina and the walk will begin at 8:30 a.m. We will walk on the Lake Accotink loop trail (about 4 miles).

The CROP Hunger Walk raises funds for Church World Service (CWS), which works with partner organizations around the world to fight against hunger and the challenges of disease, disaster, and displacement. CWS will share part of the funds raised with ACCA to help with our efforts to fight hunger and poverty.

For more information about the Annandale CROP Hunger Walk, please see https://events.crophungerwalk.org/cropwalks/annandaleva. You may also email Camille Mittelholtz at accacrop@gmail.com or call her at 703 573-0074.

ACCA is a community-based 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.

Please consider dropping off food at the pantry on Tuesday-Friday afternoons between 1:30 and 4 p.m. or at the Mason District Government Center on weekdays form 9 - 5 and at many local churches. At the pantry, be sure to deliver your donations to a volunteer, please don't leave food unattended.

Can you help? ACCA needs volunteers to help with the increased demand for food by accepting donations and also for delivery drivers. Complete the volunteer interest form.