Congregational Connection

Scouting for Food on November 12th

Did you get a flyer on your door this weekend from the Alexandria-area Boy Scouts? The National Capital Area Council Boy Scouts will holding the 34th Annual Scouting for Food drive on Saturday, November 12th. Local residents are invited to leave bagged donations at their doorsteps by 8:30am for the morning pickup.

Food donations may also be dropped off at the ALIVE! Food Warehouse (801 S. Payne Street) Monday through Friday, 9am until 4pm (closing at 7 pm on Thursdays), and 9am until Noon on Saturdays.

Scouting for Food is an important program for local food banks like ALIVE!, and we rely on food drives like this to stock shelves for the upcoming holiday months when demands are the greatest. Last year, Scouts collected 52,594 pounds of donated food in Alexandria which provides nearly 63,000 meals to our neighbors in need.

Items in highest demand include (Please avoid donations in glass containers):

Canned protein (tuna, salmon, chicken, peanut butter)
Soups and stews (beef stew, chili, meat-based soups)
100% fruit juices (all sizes)
Grains (pasta, whole grain pasta, rice, brown rice, boxed macaroni and cheese)
Cereals (multi-grain, low sugar cereals, oatmeal)
Canned vegetables
Canned fruits
Condiments
Hygiene products (diapers, toilet paper, tissues, soap, toothpaste)

ALIVE!’s Trunk-or-Treat!

Thank you to everyone who helped to promote and who participated in ALIVE!’s first Trunk-or-Treat event! The weather was perfect for dozens of trick-or-treaters to visit the decorated trunks and collect candy after ALIVE!’s grocery distribution.

Volunteers in Action with ALIVE!

Thank you to the team of volunteers from Fidelity who visited the ALIVE! Bus Barn to help us prepare for the recent food distribution events in Alexandria. These volunteers packed more than 1,100 bags.

Do you know someone who is looking to get involved? There are plenty of opportunities to lend a hand. Take a look at the list of our upcoming needs or and visit our website to reserve your volunteer shift.

Click here to sign up!

Thursday, November 10th
Pop-up! Food Distributors William Ramsay Rec
4pm-6pm William Ramsay Rec. Center (5650 Sanger Avenue)

Thursday, November 10th
Pop-up! Food Distributors Casa Chirilagua
4pm-6pm
Casa Chirilagua (4109 Mt Vernon Avenue)

Tuesday, November 22nd
Turkey Baskets Distribution-Drivers
Warehouse 801 S. Payne St.
Children under the age of 18 years old may not participate in this activity.
2pm until done with the distribution route assigned to you. You or your team will be delivering 5-6 turkeys plus fixings. Driving your own vehicle is required.

Saturday, November 19th
Food Distributors, Traffic Marshalls &  Translators
7:30am-11:30am
Children ages 15-17yrs must be accompanied by an adult.
NVCC Alexandria(5000 Dawes Avenue)
Cora Kelly Elementary School (3600 Commonwealth Ave)

Saturday, November 19th
Drivers-Saturday Food Distributions
6:30am-11:30am
Must be 21yrs old to participate and have a valid driver’s license.
Truck pick up at the Warehouse (801 South Payne Street)

Ongoing Needs
Food Sorting And Packing
Bus Barn (116 S. Quaker Lane)
Children ages 15-17yrs  must be accompanied by an adult.
Tuesday Thru Thursday 9am-12pm & 1pm-4pm

West End Food Hub Assistant
Help clients choose their groceries, welcome them to the Hub and meet people in the community.
ALIVE! Food Hub (510 South Van Dorn Street)
Children under the age of 18 years old may not participate in this activity.
Tuesday Thru Thursday-10a-11:30a, 11:30a-2:30p, 2:00p-4:30p, 4:00p-6:30p
Friday 9:45 am -12:45 pm & 1:00 pm-3:00 pm
Saturday 9:45 am-12:45 pm

Special Request- Furniture Program Volunteers Needed

ALIVE! is starting to receive a high number of furniture requests. We need to grow the size of our furniture team so that we can match donated items with families in need.

Will you sign up to pickup and deliver donated furniture on a Saturday morning? Driving your own car is required and heavy lifting is involved.

To sign up please contact volunteermg@alive-inc.org and to help us spread the word consider sharing this Facebook post from Volunteer Alexandria

 

Planned Closures and Winter Holiday Schedule

Last Saturday Food Distribution events for November and December will take place on the 3rd Saturday due to upcoming holidays. The November distribution will take place on 19th and the December distribution will take place on 17th.

The AILVE! Food Hub on the West End will be closed from November 23rd through November 26th.

You can see more about the updated schedules for October, November and December at alive-inc.org

ALIVE!’s Food Distribution Schedule

ALIVE! distributes free bags of groceries (produce, chicken, eggs, bread) at three locations one Saturday per month. Please bring reusable bags to food distribution events so that ALIVE! can recycle them for future events. All reusable bags are accepted. ALIVE! food distributions are for City of Alexandria residents. No ID is required.

ALIVE! Food Distribution Calendar – November 2022

ALIVE! Food Distribution Calendar – December 2022

Saturday, November 19 from 8:30am – 10:30am
Drive-through:
Cora Kelly Elementary School (3600 Commonwealth Ave)
NVCC Alexandria Campus (parking lot B-1 via 5000 Dawes Ave) – No walk-up distribution available

Walk-up:
Cora Kelly Elementary School (3600 Commonwealth Ave)
William Ramsay Rec Center (5650 Sanger Ave)

Pop-Up Food Distributions Events
ALIVE! provides bags of food to specific neighborhoods and apartment buildings, in collaboration with our community partners, in the parking lot at each pop-up location. Drive-through and walk-up service available depending on site.

Thursday, November 10 from 4:30pm – 6:00pm
Ramsay Rec Center (5650 Sanger Ave)

Thursday, November 10 from 4:30pm – 6:00pm
Casa Chirilagua (4109 Mt. Vernon Ave)

Saturday, November 12 from 8:00am – 10:00am
Fairlington United Methodist Church (3900 King St)

Saturday, November 12 from 10:00am – Noon
UNCUT Youth (1501 Cameron St)

Friday, November 18 from 10:30am – Noon
Old Town Community Church (212 S. Washington St)

ALIVE! Food Hub
The ALIVE! Food Hub (510-F South Van Dorn Street) offers Alexandria residents free:
• food • personal items • cleaning supplies • school supplies • community • connections to information other services

Hours of operation:
Tuesdays Noon – 6:30pm
Wednesdays Noon – 6:30pm
Thursdays Noon – 6:30pm
Fridays 10:00am – 1:00pm
Saturdays 10:00am – 1:00pm

Deadline for Alexandria’s Guaranteed Income Pilot- November 9th

$500 a month could be life changing for Alexandrians who need help paying for food, rent, medicine, childcare, or any other financial need. Thanks to a new pilot program from the city of Alexandria our community will have an opportunity to explore a new way to help our neighbors in need.

Alexandria’s Recurring Income for Success and Equity’s (ARISE) Guaranteed Income Pilot is addressing the longstanding national and institutional problem of the racial income gap. 170 participants will be randomly selected from the application pool to participate in this guaranteed income study. Participants will receive $500 cash each month for two years. Eligible residents can apply online between October 31–November 9.

The City is asking for community groups to promote the enrollment period. You can see more details about the communication toolkit (with materials in English, Spanish, Amharic, and Arabic) by visiting: https://www.alexandriava.gov/economic-support/arise-partners-communication-toolkit and you and learn more about this pilot program at: alexandriava.gov/ARISE