The power of local businesses and community volunteers working together to make an impact was on full display earlier this month when Amazon sponsored the Food For Neighbors event to help fill the food pantries in local schools. Through the Food For Neighbors Red Bag Program and generous food drives from eleven area businesses and other groups, the community collected and sorted over 28,800 pounds of donations bound for 47 local schools. Thirty-one of these schools are in Fairfax County, where more than 1,560 households donated food and toiletries and over 600 volunteers rolled up their sleeves in the Centreville, Falls Church, Fort Hunt, Herndon, South County, and Springfield areas to collect, sort and deliver.

“Amazon’s continued partnership and generous donations have played a pivotal role in expanding our services

into new communities,” said Karen Joseph, Founder and Executive Director of Food For Neighbors. “Their support has made a real difference for thousands of students facing food insecurity and has allowed us to provide much-needed, ongoing assistance.”

Amazon volunteers helped to receive and sort food and toiletries at multiple locations. Working at Irving Middle School in Springfield was Melissa Robinson of Amazon Community Impact. She shared, "At Amazon, we want to be good neighbors. Food security is an issue that employees are passionate about supporting. We are proud to support the Food For Neighbors fall food event for the second year in a row." 

Gonzalo de Dios was among other Amazon volunteers working in Springfield with Robinson. He noted, "We don't realize there are a lot of people who are hungry. A little effort goes a long way for people without means."  

Despite Northern Virginia being among the most affluent areas in the state, over 1-in-3 students in Fairfax County were eligible for free or reduced-price school meals during the 2023-2024 school year. Food For Neighbors works to ensure that supplemental food is readily accessible to students during the school day and to take home over weekends and holidays.

To address this need, several other community businesses and organizations joined Amazon and local volunteers in service. Working at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Herndon were Sprouts, Social4Good, Young Men’s Service League’s (YMSL) Hunter Mill Chapter, and New Trail Cycling & Strength, which also began their efforts prior to the event by sponsoring a food drive with their members. For the Herndon and Reston area schools, Food For Neighbors also received generous food drives from FS-ISAC and Anytime Fitness Herndon and Chantilly gyms.

Liz Kamp, Founder of New Trail, expressed enthusiasm for supporting Food For Neighbors. "We have loved working with Food For Neighbors this fall. New Trail is more than a gym; we're a community of people who want to support each other and our neighbors,” said Kamp. “One of our quotes on the wall inside New Trail is 'We rise by lifting others,' and we try to embody that through action. Collecting food for Food For Neighbors has been a great way for us to come together for a common purpose."

Volunteers from Sprouts stores in Leesburg and Westminster chose to volunteer with Food For Neighbors as part of Sprouts Day of Service, an annual nationwide effort. “We brought our kids to help with the food sorting, as it is a great way for them to learn how to serve and how to give back,” said Sprouts team member Nancy Potumuthu.

Social4Good also had a number of members participating in Herndon. Pam Soncini remarked, "Partnering to fight food insecurity has been an incredibly rewarding experience for Social4Good and our members. … I’m grateful to be part of an effort that brings hope and nourishment to others."  

Additional businesses and organizations also supported the massive food collection by providing food drives to and/or volunteering as groups at Centreville High School, Luther Jackson Middle School, and Walt Whitman Middle School. These included Cooley LLP, Kiwanis, IBM, ICF, National Charity League, Rocky Run Middle School, Salesforce, St. Aidan's Episcopal Day School, TCG, and YMSL.

"At TCG, we're committed to making a meaningful impact by actively addressing food insecurity in our communities,” shared Debbie Buchanan, FSO/Executive Assistant to the President of TCG, Inc., whose team helped at Whitman Middle School in Mount Vernon.

Christopher Kozusko, President of the Kiwanis Club of Tysons, which also had a team at Whitman, echoed Buchanan’s sentiments. "Dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time, the Kiwanis Club of Tysons appreciates this opportunity to help tackle teen food insecurity in Alexandria.” On Feb. 1, the Kiwanis will continue to make an impact through its Polar Dip fundraiser in support of Food For Neighbors and other nonprofits.

“I want our amazing volunteers and business partners to know that their contributions are making a profound impact. Thanks to their dedication and generosity, we’ve been able to reach far more students than we ever imagined when we started in 2016,” said Food For Neighbors Founder Karen Joseph. “Our partnerships with local businesses and organizations have been key in expanding our reach. School staff continue to share how the consistent food support is helping students attend school more regularly, stay focused in class, and improve their academic performance. Together, we are changing lives and giving these students opportunities to thrive.”

To learn more about Food For Neighbors and join more than 3,100 Red Bag donors and over 3,600 volunteers, visit https://www.foodforneighbors.org/get-involved/