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| Since 1989, St. George’s Church has operated a Food
Pantry on premises in Central Arlington. The mission of St. George’s Food Pantry is
to give lunch to each person who seeks it. 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?
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| Men, women, and children go hungry each day in
Arlington. Some are homeless, others are confused or ill. A few work for minimum wage at
day-labor jobs. They simply do not have enough money for their next meal.
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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Organize a community food drive
Your friends and neighbors might like to help fight hunger in Arlington, too.
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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. |
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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.
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Write grants
Are you “up” on grant-writing? We need help finding alternate sources of funds. |
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Be an outreach worker
We need volunteers to contact businesses, service clubs, churches, and schools to
encourage community involvement.
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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!
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The Food Pantry
Steering Committee
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Paul Belanga
Member of St. George’s vestry
(board of directors) who is the liaison to St. George’s Outreach Ministry, of
which the Food Pantry is a part.
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Happy Olmstead
Members of St. George’s Church who lead the Outreach Committee, through which the Food Pantry is administered.
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Judy Sibert
Member of St. George’s Church who schedules volunteer Food Pantry workers and shoppers.
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George Sibert
Member of St. George’s Church who prepares and distributes the volunteer schedule.
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Gil Terry
Member of St. George’s who assists co-directors with food ordering.
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Al Brevard and Wesley Ann Godard
Members of St. George’s Church who serve as co-directors of the Food
Pantry and prepare shopping lists.
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Norine Florian
Member of St. George’s Church who keeps statistical records.
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Canned Items Needed
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| 5 to 8 ounce cans
(approximately): |
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Vienna sausage (very popular) |
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Chicken |
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Tuna |
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Sardines |
| 15 to 16 ounce cans (approximately): |
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Chili |
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Stew |
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Baked beans |
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Ravioli or other pasta |
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Soup (not condensed, not broth—may be 20 ounce cans) |
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Vegetables (corn, peas, tomatoes, potatoes,
beets, turnip and other greens, pinto and other beans, green beans, or mixed
vegetables) |
| Individual serving sizes: |
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Applesauce |
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Puddings |
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Crackers |
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Raisins |
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Apple juice |
Non-food items
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New socks |
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Small sizes of soap, toothpaste, deodorant,
and hand lotion |
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Lip balm |
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Disposable razors |
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Toothbrushes
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The Food Pantry after 20 years
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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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