December 2024

WFCM News For You

Executive Director's Update

During the month of November, in addition to the market appointments, we partnered with fifteen local organizations to provide Thanksgiving groceries for families. I am thankful to all of the partners and community members that provided funds for fresh food and 1,300 food boxes with canned and baking goods, and those who volunteered during our distribution.

During the distribution, we served 705 families, followed by 145 additional families who picked up Thanksgiving groceries or received home deliveries Monday thru Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving for a total of 850 families served. We received several messages of gratitude from families, including this one from Mr. Singh, "Thank you for the groceries I received. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone there. Thank you."

It is only through the generosity of the community that we are able to provide Thanksgiving groceries for these families, including two boxes of food for larger families. Details of the distribution including the generous partners and the groceries provided are below in Pamela's update.

This distribution followed Scouting for Food, held on November 9th, during which Cub Run (formerly known as Sully District) Scouts collected 44,145 lbs. of groceries and toiletries for WFCM. We are thankful to the scouts and all who donated during this collection! These toiletries and canned goods help stock our shelves and provide more options for families. The highlight of the day was when Deputy Director, Pamela, determined that we had received enough toilet paper and bar soap donations to resume providing those items to each family in addition to one toiletry per person in the household each month (instead of as part of those toiletries). Your generosity truly makes a difference!

As we gear up for the December Holiday/School's Out Food Distribution, I am grateful for the continued support from our community. Thank you for enabling WFCM's staff to provide not only essential groceries for meals throughout the month, but additionally this special abundant offering of holiday food and school's out groceries for families with kids who are out of school on winter break.

God bless,

Harmonie Taddeo, Executive Director

What's New in the Food Markets and Client Services with Pamela Montesinos, Deputy Director

November is typically a lower month of appointments at WFCM due to the Veterans Day and Thanksgiving holidays, coupled with 80% of WFCM clients regularly using the markets picking up Thanksgiving groceries during the Saturday to Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We served 19 new families in the markets and 223 families in the Centreville market. Three hundred and thirty eight (338) babies received diapers (50 per baby) versus 372 babies in November 2023 (100 per baby).

Thanksgiving Grocery Distribution

On Saturday November 23rd, WFCM staff and volunteers provided Thanksgiving groceries to 705 families including clients and school-referred families (Centreville/Chantilly/Westfield FCPS) in a drive-thru distribution. We continued to distribute and deliver Thanksgiving groceries Monday the 25th - Wednesday the 27th leading up to Thanksgiving and in total provided Thanksgiving food for 850 families.

The groceries included: boxes with canned vegetables, instant potatoes, canned fruit, broth, rice, sugar, oil, and pancake mix; choice of turkey or chicken, fresh vegetables and fruit, milk, eggs, and butter, and limited bread or pie.

This Thanksgiving food distribution was made possible by these partners who provided 100+ boxes each, totaling 1,100 boxes, as well as funds for fresh food:

Centreville United Methodist Church

Christ Central Presbyterian Church

Grace Covenant Church

Gateway Community Church

Lord of Life Lutheran Church

Virginia Valor FC

Thanks also to these partners who provided nearly 200 boxes and or funds for fresh food:

King of Kings Lutheran Church, Clifton Presbyterian, Saint Andrew Lutheran, Fairfax Church of Christ, Church of the Epiphany Anglican, Zion Worship Center, Union Mill Elementary School, Saint John's Episcopal, and Christ Presbyterian.

Most needed items in the Free Food Market this month:

Flour (Maseca preferred)
Sugar (1 or 2 lb. bags)
Vegetable Oil
Pasta Sauce
Pasta
Brown Rice
Pancake Mix
Family Sized Snacks (crackers, pretzels, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, etc.)
Canned Chicken
Hot Beverages (ground coffee, tea bags, etc.)

Toiletries: bar soap, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrushes, hair shampoo, hair conditioner, feminine hygiene products, toilet paper, and baby wipes (NOTE: we are not currently in need of diapers size 0-5 due to our partnership with Greater DC Diaper Bank. Please only donate larger size pull ups size 4T/5T for toddlers, size 6 diapers, or baby wipes if you want to donate items for babies.)

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

with Diane Beatley

Sr. Manager, Community Engagement

Pictured above with volunteers from our partner, WingSwept.

Thank you Annual Friend of WFCM Business Sponsors

Thank you to Northwest Federal Credit Union, NCN Technology, and Phire, Inc for their annual Friend of WFCM Business Sponsorships. We greatly appreciate their support of WFCM's mission.

Northwest Federal Credit Union is a full-service financial institution ranking among the largest credit unions in Virginia and in the top 60 credit unions in the nation. Established in 1947 and headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, the Northwest Why statement is: “Together we serve and inspire to transform lives.”

NCN Technology is a leading provider of innovative IT solutions and consulting services. Sharon Muniz, CEO of NCN Technology, shared, “Supporting local communities is at the heart of what we do at NCN. We recognize the hidden struggles many families face in Fairfax County, and by partnering with WFCM, we are helping provide critical resources to ensure no family has to worry about their next meal. Our team is passionate about giving back, and we’re excited to continue supporting their efforts.”

Phire is an Application Change Management (ACM) tool developed utilizing PeopleTools. Phire is designed to enhance organizations' control and oversight of essential changes within PeopleSoft and other enterprise applications. Thank you John Han, and team!

YOU Make the Difference for our Neighbors!

With the holiday season, comes giving season and we hope that you will choose to support WFCM and the important work of serving our food insecure and financially unstable neighbors so that we can meet the growing needs in our community.

Your gift will be matched dollar for dollar up to $25,000 by donations from three local families who want to ensure that their neighbors are safely housed, and food secure all year-long. Your investment will support the immediate needs of the 700+ families served each month, as well as enable us to implement and sustain longer-term solutions to help families rise out of poverty.

Together, we can achieve our goal of raising $150,000 by December 31st.

Giving Tuesday is December 3

Giving Tuesday is a national day of giving when families have the opportunity to put generosity at the top of their gift list. We appreciate your support of WFCM's work serving food insecure and financially unstable neighbors. With your support, WFCM can continue to ensure 5,000 individuals, 1,700 families, will remain safely housed with food in their refrigerators throughout the upcoming year. Your gift on Tuesday, December 3rd truly matters and will be matched dollar for dollar up to $2,500. Together, we can do so much more.

Our December 3rd one-day goal is $10,000.

This year we’re offering anyone who makes a $200+ donation to WFCM on December 3rd a raffle entry into a drawing for a fully installed 4’ x8’ white overhead garage storage rack. (*restrictions apply)

This item was generously donated by The Tailored Closet and Premier Garage of Greater Washington, DC to support WFCM’s work in the community. We are grateful for the opportunity to provide a gift for a giver.

* Restrictions: The recipient of the overhead rack must be located in the Northern Virginia service area, Montgomery County, or Washington, DC. The offer is valid through 10/15/2025.

Note: Receipt of the overhead rack may affect the tax-deductibility of the donation.

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