February Volunteer Newsletter

Starting The Year Off Strong with ALIVE!’s January Food Distributions

Thanks to the help of nearly 100 volunteers we were able to distribute eggs, bread, meat, fresh produce, and canned goods to our Alexandria neighbors in need at Cora Kelly Elementary School, Ramsay Rec Center, and Northern Virginia Community College’s Alexandria Campus.

Special thanks to the groups of volunteers organized by the Junior League of Washington, Community Praise Church, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. We were joined by community partners including Neighborhood Health, Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, and Alfred Street Baptist Church who provided additional resources including flu vaccinations, pet supplies, and prepared meals.

Ready to Sign Up for Upcoming Food Distributions?
We have volunteer shifts open for the February, March, and April Last Saturday distributions. Please note that we will not be distributing at NVCC, but volunteers are needed at Cora Kelly Elementary School and William Ramsay Rec Center. Sign up through our website’s volunteer scheduling tool to select your next shift. These activities start at 7:15am and we generally wrap up around 11:30 am. Children ages 15-17 must be accompanied by an adult. Spanish, Dari, and Pashto language skills are needed at all locations.
Click here to login and reserve your next shift.

Shifts Needed for Saturday, February 24th

Cora Kelly Elementary School (3600 Commonwealth Ave)
5 Volunteers Needed for food distributions
1 Translator (Spanish, Dari, Pashto)

William Ramsay Rec Center (5650 Sanger Ave)
5Volunteers Needed to Distribute Food
1 Translator (Spanish, Dari, Pashto)

Truck Drivers (Meeting at 801 South Payne St)
8 Delivery Drivers – Drive the ALIVE! truck from the warehouse to the distribution site. Available for anyone 21+ with a valid drivers license. Commercial license is not required.

Truck Navigators (Meeting at 801 South Payne St)
8 Volunteers Needed to Assist Drivers with Directions, and Unloading Trucks. No Driving Required

(New Position) Friday Evening Set Up Crew (3600 Commonwealth Ave)
8 Volunteers Needed on Friday Night from 6pm-8pm. Unload food and materials on Friday night for ALIVE!’s Saturday morning indoor grocery distributions.

Help ALIVE! Deliver Furniture to Alexandrians in Need

We had a terrific team of volunteers from First Christian Church and Friends of Guest House on Saturday helping with the Furniture Program. This team was able to pick up donations from five locations and brought essential furniture items to four Alexandria families in need.

We are planning to run two trucks for the next two Saturdays, so if you’d like to lend a hand please sign up today!

We have a list of people who would like to donate furniture and families who are waiting for beds, couches, and chairs. The only missing piece to this equation is a team of volunteers to load and unload the ALIVE! truck. If you are looking for a workout that gives back to the community please sign up to join us for an upcoming furniture volunteer shift. We meet at 8am each Saturday morning to pick up items scheduled for donation and delivery.

Volunteers Needed in Del Ray and the West End
ALIVE!’s Food Hubs give clients greater flexibility when they seek food assistance and more expanded choices. Since we are open five days a week we need a greater number volunteers to assist. If you are interested in helping clients select specific items in a mini-grocery-store like environment sign up below.

This is a great activity if you are looking for regular week day volunteer hours, speak languages other than English, want to help re-stock shelves, or are just are excited about helping people find food and other support resources.

Del Ray Food Hub Volunteer (2601 Mt. Vernon Ave)
Tuesdays – Thursdays
11am – 12pm | 12pm – 2:30pm | 2pm – 4:30pm | 4:30pm – 6pm | 5pm – 6pm
Saturdays
9:45am – 2pm

West End Food Hub Volunteer (510-F S. Van Dorn St)
Tuesdays – Thursdays
10am – 12pm | 11am – 2pm | 2pm – 4pm | 4pm – 6pm | 5pm – 6pm
Saturdays
9:45am – 2pm

These shifts fill up quickly! View the available volunteer shifts and reserve one that works for you using our online volunteer scheduling tool.

ALIVE! Adds Curbside Compost Pickup
The ALIVE! team has added a new tool to reduce food waste in 2024. We have partnered with Monster Organics on a curbside compost service.

We run a pretty efficient program at ALIVE!, but sometimes fresh produce, bread, or damaged and expired donations just can’t be used. Composting allows us to keep organic waste out of the garbage, and creates nutrient rich soil for future use.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can decrease your food waste, and would like to give curbside composting a try visit: monster-organics.com or use ALIVE!’s referral code to save $20 http://tinyurl.com/yohvek52

ALIVE! Joins Islamic Relief and Episcopal High School
More than 500 volunteers from Islamic Relief USA and Episcopal High School took part in the Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service! Volunteers put together a mix of rice, beans, dried vegetables, and spices for ALIVE!’s upcoming food distributions. In total, more than 100,000 meal bags were produced.

Friday, March 1st
Virginia Theological Seminary – Coffield Refectory Room (3737 Seminary Rd)
6:30pm Doors Open
7:00pm – 9:00pm Event