Donor Provides ALIVE! Food Program with 40-Foot Refrigerated Container

(Alexandria, VA) – On September 14, 2020 at 9:00 a.m., ALIVE! will receive a donation from AMX Leasing, the trailer/tractor arm of Abilene Motor Express of a refrigerated shipping container to be housed on AlexRenew’s property. The donation is made possible by Marion Moon, a Living Legend of Alexandria and the CEO of Convention & Tradeshow Freight Specialists (CTFS). “Marion came to us and asked, ‘What do you need?’ and we replied, ‘Refrigeration’ and Marion delivered, ” says Jennifer Ayers, ALIVE! Executive Director. “Marion saw a need for us to have the right tools to expand our operations to serve more Alexandrian’s in need.”

The container provides much needed refrigerated space and storage for ALIVE! to better respond to the increased demand for food. Since the March pandemic, ALIVE! has distributed over 5 times its monthly average of pounds of food. ALIVE! currently serves over 12,000 individuals per month at its food distributions and thorough its Community Partners’ food pantries.

AMX Leasing is trailer/tractor leasing  arm of Abilene Motor Express.  Abilene was founded in 1986 by Keith and Kolen Jones, my uncles.  They taught me that our true customers are really an extension of our family.   One of the longest running and most cherished customers/family members is Convention Freight Services which is owned and operated by Ms. Marion Moon.

Abilene and Amx have both been fortunate during the pandemic.  “Our business has remained strong due to the essential nature of transporting goods and services.  Due to that, when Marion reached out with the opportunity to help others that have been affected more than us we were more than happy to help.  While this is a large donation when compared to the good it can do for the Alexandria community it’s truly insignificant,”  says Alan K. Jones of Abiline Motors.

“This is an extremely important donation that will help ALIVE! better manage and distribute perishable food to those in need and will greatly enhance its ability to respond to growing community needs,” says Dennis Warnke, ALIVE Food Program Committee Chair.

“Food insecurity is rising with the pandemic. We distributed over 170,000 pounds of food last month without refrigeration. By having the extra storage space, our logistics will be more efficient and we will be able to distribute more fresh foods like meat, eggs, produce, and dairy to more people – providing more nutrition to people in need,” says Jennifer Ayers, ALIVE! Executive Director.  

With the help of city officials and others, AlexRenew was selected as the best location closest to the ALIVE! food warehouse. “Not only did they provide space, but provided engineers to scope out a location, dedicated time and energy of staff to provide us with drawings of several potential sites, and now are letting us use their property to house the container. We are extremely grateful!” says Ann Patterson, ALIVE! Food Program Director.

About ALIVE!: As the oldest and largest private safety net for Alexandrians living in poverty and with hunger, ALIVE! serves thousands of people each month by providing Food, Shelter, and Emergency Financial Assistance. Founded in 1969, ALIVE! is comprised of 45 faith-based organizations and thousands of volunteers, partners, and supporters. For more information, visit www.alive-inc.org or call (703) 837-9321.