August 2026

WFCM News For You

Executive Director's Update

During the month of July, the number of families selecting food in our markets increased as the summer months impact both students' access to food and income earned by 10-month employees working for the school system.

Summer months are particularly hard for Doris* as she stretches her income earned during the school year to pay her rent and utility bills. Getting food for herself and her two elementary-aged children at WFCM’s Free Food Market helps Doris save more funds to pay for her housing expenses. At her recent appointment Doris shared, “My family is so grateful for WFCM.”

With the increase in families seeking services, and a new process for Fairfax County's Emergency Food and Emergency Housing grants for Fiscal Year 2027 that has delayed grant decisions/awards, I am thankful for several partners who have stepped forward to ensure we have most needed/desired food items in our markets as well as to provide funds for rent and utility assistance.

Thank you to our partner Wegmans Chantilly for providing 700 containers of pasta sauce and 700 boxes of pasta to stock our shelves during the month of August! Thank you to our new partner, Centra, for funds to provide utility assistance. And thank you to our long-time partner, Expectation Church, for providing thousands of dollars for rent assistance. When asked about the decision to provide funds for rent, Executive Pastor Mike Zizolfo shared, "At Expectation Church, meeting needs is one of the ways we demonstrate the love of Jesus to our community. We're grateful for the opportunity to support our longtime partner, WFCM, and for the meaningful work they continue to do."

Thank you to Wegmans Chantilly, Centra, Expectation Church, and to each of you who chooses to partner with WFCM. Your support is critical and impactful for thousands of community members!

God bless,

Harmonie Taddeo, Executive Director

*Name changed for privacy.

What's New in the Food Markets and Client Services

In July, we provided client choice food selection for 725 unduplicated families (220 of those families were served at our Centreville Free Food Market). We served 37 new families. We are grateful for our partnership with DoorDash that enabled us to provide deliveries of groceries to 57 households during the month. The Fairfax County ERA program allowed us to connect 37 families with $273,000 in rent assistance to prevent eviction and maintain safe housing.

Average weight of a bag of food is 21 lbs.

Food value of 1 lb. of food FY 2027 = $1.92

More Information about Services Provided in FY 2026

In the July newsletter, we provided information about the ways we connected with families during FY 2026 that ended June 30th. Below are some additional details.

We provided 207,300 diapers to 540 families through our partnership with Greater DC Diaper Bank
Home delivery of groceries increased to support nearly 60 households
The percentage of households with employed adults remained stable at 79%
12 families achieved self-sufficiency, compared with 29 in FY 2025

Thank you for your ongoing partnership.

Most needed items in the Free Food Markets this month:

Sugar (1 lb. or 2 lb. bag)
White All-Purpose Flour
Oil (vegetable, canola, olive)
Cereal (low sugar preferred)
Oatmeal (Quaker Oats)
Pancake Mix
Shelf Stable Juice (apple, cranberry, grape)
Canned Tomatoes (crushed, whole, paste)
Canned Fruit (pineapple, mandarin oranges)
Canned Vegetables (carrots, potatoes, beets, spinach, collard greens)
Mashed Potatoes
Canned Fish (tuna, salmon)
Boxed Pasta (no macaroni needed at this time)
Pasta Sauce (no glass jars)

Note - We have an abundant amount of canned green beans, stuffing, and condensed chicken noodle and tomato soup. If purchasing items to donate for our markets, we kindly request you not purchase/donate these items.

Toiletries and Household Items:

Toilet Paper
Baby Wipes
Body Wash
Bar Soap
Toothpaste
Body Lotion
Shaving Cream (full size) and Disposable Razors
Pull-ups size 4T/5

As a reminder, we accept food and toiletry donations Monday - Friday 8-10 am at 4511

Daly Drive Suite H (Back Door) and on the second Saturday monthly 9-11 am.

Community Connections

Partner Spotlight: Wegmans Chantilly

Since Wegmans opened the Chantilly store eight years ago, Wegmans Food Market in Chantilly has supported WFCM and our work in the community.

Earlier this year, for the fourth consecutive year since we opened the Centreville Free Food Market in June 2023, Wegmans contributed $10,000 to support WFCM’s Centreville Market operations.

Wegmans also offers customers the opportunity to support WFCM through Checkout Hunger and Fill the Bus. In July, we received a generous donation of $5,909.91 from this year's Fill the Bus donations.

Thank you, Wegmans and Wegmans customers!

3rd Annual Walk to End Hunger - Register Today!

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Third Annual Walk to End Hunger as part of the Centreville Day Parade on

Saturday, October 17, 2026.

We'll begin the day with a Fellowship Breakfast. This hearty meal will include pancakes, eggs, crispy potatoes, breakfast meat, and family-friendly activities.

After breakfast, the Walk to End Hunger is a one-mile family-friendly walk at the end of the Centreville Day Parade to raise awareness about food insecurity in our communities and raise funds for WFCM's Free Food Markets in Chantilly and Centreville.

WFCM supporters may register for breakfast only, the walk only, or both! People concerned about walking the full mile in the parade can choose to register for breakfast and walk, take the WFCM shuttle with the walkers, and find a good spot to watch the parade, with minimal walking to and from the shuttle drop-off location.

WFCM will offer a raffle for dining gift cards for registered participants. Each registered participant will receive one raffle entry, with additional raffle entries available for purchase when signing up online. Raffle prizes are valued at $100+.

For more information and to register, please visit wfcmva.org/walk