The county announced yesterday that almost 3,000 individuals have volunteered 96,006 hours since mid-March to assist with pandemic relief efforts. And it should be noted, saving the county a substantial amount of our tax dollars. During these difficult days, our volunteers have stepped up to make a difference and I am grateful and humbled by your efforts – thank you!

I'm especially heartened to see the outstanding volunteer efforts by our younger residents! Pictured above are volunteers for a recent Cornerstone's food drive. Another example is Curtis Bushee's Eagle Scout project. He enlisted 22 volunteers to make 1,000 masks that were donated to the Reston Police District Station this week and pictured at right. Thank you Curtis!

This year there is expected to be a greater need for coat donations for residents in our vulnerable communities. New or gently used, clean coats, as well as new hats, gloves, mittens and scarves may be donated through Nov. 6 at several Hunter Mill District locations. Learn more. Volunteers are needed for the coat distribution; contact Susan Alger at [email protected] or call 571-323-1383 to volunteer.

The annual VolunteerFest is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Oct. 25. VolunteerFest is a region-wide weekend of service that mobilizes hundreds of volunteers in a variety of volunteer events across Fairfax County. Residents of all ages are encouraged to participate. Due to the pandemic, Volunteer Fairfax has incorporated at-home (virtual) projects from which you can select. Opportunities include making holiday cards, cleaning up yards and assisting with food drives. Learn more.

My office has been updating this webpage on a regular basis during the pandemic with a number of ways to help our neighbors.

Planning is underway at the federal, state and local levels to order, distribute and administer a safe and effective vaccine as soon as it becomes available. The Fairfax County Health Department is working with the Virginia Department of Health to develop these plans for our health district. Learn more.

Early voting at the Government Center continues to be very busy and more than 200,000 voters have requested mail-in ballots. This level of voting activity is historic for our county and the Office of Elections is working hard to ensure that every registered voter has the opportunity to cast a ballot. There are almost 750,000 active registered voters in our county and in 2016, we had more than an 80% turnout with an even higher turnout expected this year. Some key dates coming up next week:

IMPORTANT NOTE: The county is closed on Monday, Oct. 12 and the Office of Elections will not be open. There is no in-person early voting on Monday.

The Board of Supervisors met yesterday, Tuesday, Oct. 6. You can watch the meeting here with a linked agenda. Actions taken at the meeting include:

Learn more.

To learn more about the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study and the task force, visit the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study web page. The next scheduled meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 13, 7 to 9 p.m. Details and the agenda will be found here. The meeting will be hosted on the Webex platform. Use this link to attend and participate in the meeting. You will be prompted to register with your email address and ZIP code before logging into meeting. If you prefer to listen to the meeting on your phone, you may call 1-844-621-3956 and use access code: 173 141 2444. This is also the number to use if accessing TTY 711. (Please note each meeting has a unique link and call-in information.) You will also be able to watch a live stream of the meeting on YouTube Live. 

Wiehle Pedestrian Crossing Study Group virtual meeting is Thursday, Oct. 15, 7 to 9 p.m. The meeting is hosted on the Webex platform – use this link to attend and participate in the meeting. You will be prompted to register with your email address and ZIP code before logging into meeting. If you prefer to only listen to the meeting, you may call 1-844-621-3956 and use Access Code: 173 482 2404. This is also the number to use if accessing TTY 711.

The next meeting of the Land Use Committee is Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Staff from the county's Department of Planning & Development (DPD) will be presenting on the Workforce Dwelling Unit (WDU) Policy Plan Amendment. The meeting is hosted on the Webex platform – use this link to attend and participate in the meeting. You will be prompted to register with your email address and ZIP code before logging into meeting. If you prefer to only listen to the meeting, you may call 1-408-418-9388 and use Access Code: 173 403 3126. This is also the number to use if accessing TTY 711. More information or contact Jose Delcid. 

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is continuing to serve free meals to all children through Dec. 31. FCPS has distributed more than 3.1 million grab and go meals since schools closed in March. The goal is to provide every FCPS student daily access to a nutritious breakfast and lunch. Meal distribution is taking place at school sites and buses are delivering grab and go meals throughout the county. Learn more.

Thank you to the Fairfax County Police Department and to our participating communities for a fun National Night Out this week. It was great to see neighbors connecting with our officers to promote community engagement and safer streets!

Learn more.

The Friends of Frying Pan Park are holding what is believed to be the first-ever NASCOW event in Hunter Mill District to raise funds for upkeep of the farm and animals. Eleven cows will participate in a race (they actually amble) and the first to get to their breakfast will be the winner. You can donate to sponsor a participating cow, including Hokie, pictured. Details on how to donate and watch the "race" online is here.

The Fairfax County Health Department is recommending that residents do not participate in door-to-door trick-or-treating and events that involve large gatherings of individuals. Health official are providing moderate and low-risk activities to enjoy the holiday. Learn more.

Volunteer applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 1. Learn more and apply to volunteer online.

Learn how you can support a friend or family member experiencing violence at the Fairfax County Domestic and Sexual Violence Services 24-Hour Hotline 703-360-7273. Learn more.