St. George’s Episcopal Church, Arlington, Virginia

A Diocese of Virginia parish serving God in Arlington, Virginia, since 1908; on the net since 1998
Our mission: to make God known.

Food Pantry

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The Food Pantry is open from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM, Monday through Friday, and feeds an average of about 40 hungry people each weekday the year round.

The Food Pantry is staffed by volunteers. It is stocked with food either donated by members of the community or purchased with donated money. We gratefully receive special contributions from area merchants, such as a weekly donation from Safeway in Clarendon.

How can you help fight hunger in Arlington?

About forty people per day come to St. George’s and San José’s church doors and are given canned goods and packaged items that provide a substantial lunch. They are welcomed with a smile and treated with dignity.

We do not pretend to solve the problem of hunger in our society, but we can make today a bit more tolerable for those in our midst who are hungry.

How can you help?

• Contribute financially
  There is no overhead—100 percent of your donation will be used feed hungry people. Simply make your check payable to “St. George’s Church” and put “Food Pantry” in the memo line.

• Donate food
  We especially need 15-ounce cans of vegetables, regular-sized cans of tuna fish and Vienna sausages, serving-sized packs of applesauce and peanut butter crackers. There is a more detailed list of items needed at the bottom of this page.

• Ask your business to donate money or canned goods
  Several organizations have found that St. George’s Food Pantry makes a great community outreach project.

• Organize a community food drive
  Your friends and neighbors might like to help fight hunger in Arlington, too.

• Volunteer to give out food
  Two church or community volunteers work each week day in the Food Pantry. They set up at 11:30 AM and close at 1:00 PM. They greet each person and invite him or her to select a day’s meal. The schedule is flexible. Some volunteers work once per week, others once per month. E-mail the parish office to become a volunteer pantry worker.

• Help shop
  Volunteers purchase food each month. We need people with an SUV or pickup truck who can make shopping trips to COSTCO about once a month. We also need volunteers who can meet Capital Area Food Bank deliveries at St. George’s and stack food in the storage closet. E-mail the parish office for more information or to volunteer.

• Write grants
  Are you “up” on grant-writing? We need help finding alternate sources of funds.

• Be an outreach worker
  We need volunteers to contact businesses, service clubs, churches, and schools to encourage community involvement.

• Be our communicator
  We are great at feeding hungry people, but don’t always tell others about what we’re doing or how they can help. If you’re a communicator who can help us with public relations, let us know.

Tell a friend about us—maybe they’ll want to help also!

Detailed List of Food Items Needed

Canned Items Needed

Non-food items

The Food Pantry after 20 years

One very hot day last month in July 2007, 42 people received food from St. George’s food pantry. Two volunteers gave them lunches from a stock of food in the chapel, as volunteers do every Monday through Friday from 11:30 to 1:00. This organized response to the problem of hunger in our community is buttressed by individual contributions that have not wavered over the years. For example, on this same hot day an anonymous donor brought in refillable bottles of water.

The Food Pantry’s purpose has remained the same since it first began in 1988: to provide food with dignity for those in need. It now has over 40 volunteers serving 10,000 meals a year. The pantry got started when church secretary Barbara Lewis began to keep crackers in her desk for the increasing string of people asking St. George’s for help. Their number, in wealthy Arlington, was a revelation to rector Bob Hall. With his encouragement, distribution of food from an office closet began.

St. George’s parishioners, aided by staff members over the years, adopted this program wholeheartedly. Harold and Alice Cox were the first to help: they gave away food from the staff cache on a first-come, first-served basis until it was gone. They involved other people, who brought nonperishable items to the altar. As the program grew, St. George’s began storing food in a cabinet under the stairs and distributing it in a hallway near the rector’s office—often providing great distractions. Marion Malone began going to bakeries and getting day-old cookies and bread. Parishioners brought and still bring in used plastic bags to help with distribution. Other people joined the distribution team. Connie McAdam’s response is typical: she sends clients away with a cheerful, “Have a nice day.”

Lauren Stanley, now an ordained Episcopal priest, put together our present operation. She organized buying to include shopping at Price Club and initiated fund-raising methods, such as sales of bookmarks, magnets, and tote bags. At her request, nutritionist Angela Churchill developed, in consultation with clients, a list of nutritious food items. She cleared our operation with county officials, and after the fire marshal expressed displeasure with the cabinet at the foot of the stairs, Ted Mann built a storage closet on wheels, called the Red Dragon. Lauren next arranged for a $3,000 grant from the Diocesan Fund for Human Need, with the result that the accounting became formalized. Other gifts followed: food from the congregation, extra bakery goodies, P-38 can openers, razors, and socks. In 1993, the vestry began funding the pantry from St. George’s budget, financially committing to its operation.

In July 1994, Wendi Mitchell became coordinator. She organized raffles of Betty Iseli’s stuffed bunnies. She listened to complaints and dealt with difficult clients. During church reconstruction she moved the Food Pantry to the rear of the San José chapel, where it operates today.

In 1997, the church’s Social Ministries Committee began coordinating pantry leadership. It no longer depends on church staff but functions entirely as a ministry of the congregation.

The Food Pantry’s purpose is well served. Those who come to it receive a balanced meal and encounter people who will listen. Over the years hundreds of clients have been helped and much gratitude expressed. Devoted volunteers discover that people in need who come to the pantry are real people with real stories.

-- Nancy McCracken

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