Western Fairfax Christian Ministries

WFCM is closed from Friday, December 23-Monday December 26, in observance and celebration of the Christmas holiday. On this , we wish all of our friends who are celebrating Christmas a joyful and peaceful holiday. We will return to the office on Tuesday, December 27, to serve clients.

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Yesterday we served 470 families, including WFCM client families and families referred by local schools. We provided turkey or chicken, oranges, milk, butter, eggs, rolls, fresh vegetables, and a box of cooking essentials such as flour, sugar, vegetable oil, and brownie/cake mix. In addition, since students are out of school for the next two weeks, the boxes included a few lunch items such as pasta, pasta sauce, and tuna.

We were happy to once again partner with Fairfax County Health Department for their CAREVAN to provide COVID boosters and to partner with Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith's office, which provided nearly 400 coats for kids, and some for adults too!

Thank you to all the donors who made our December Holiday Food Distribution possible!
Capital Area Food Bank
Centreville United Methodist Church
Christ Central Presbyterian Church
Christ Presbyterian Church (Hats & Mittens)
Church of the Ascension
Church of the Epiphany Anglican
Fairfax Church of Christ
Food Lion
King of Kings Lutheran
Lord of Life Lutheran Church
Pender United Methodist Church (Mary Martha Circle)
St John’s Episcopal Church
Sully District Board of Supervisor’s Office of Fairfax County Government (nearly 400 coats via Operation Warm in partnership with Pohanka Automotive, ATFA, and other donors)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

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We just finished handing out the last holiday groceries for today - turkeys/chickens, potatoes, milk, eggs, butter, oranges, apples, and more - to 470 families. Check back tomorrow for a detailed post and photos. But for today, we wanted to share some short thank-you notes we received from our clients with all of you who partner with us to make this possible.

We look forward to giving our clients who couldn't pick up food today the rest of the holiday groceries next week.

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The holiday fun continues with Ugly Christmas Sweater day! Share your Ugly Sweater photos with us, and happy !

On this , we thank our friends at Apple Federal Credit Union for collecting food and toiletries for WFCM in their local branch office. We received 750 lbs. of food and toiletry items delivered by an Apple FCU Marketing Team member.

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Yesterday was a at WFCM as our holiday celebrations continued with our 4th Annual Cookies & Crafts! Once the pantry closed, the celebration began. Our Food & Volunteer Program Manager, Debbie, led the team in a craft making gnomes, and everyone enjoyed sharing homemade (and a few store-bought) cookies. Our Executive Director gifted the team WFCM lunch bags. We hope your celebrations are in full swing and you are also able to spend some time with your making memories.

During the month of December, enjoy 50% off a great meal at Sedona Taphouse in Chantilly while supporting WFCM!

For every* HALF PRICE 8 oz. Black Angus Flat Iron Steak, 8 oz. Grilled Chicken, or 7 oz. Norwegian Salmon entrée sold on Mondays in December, Sedona Taphouse will donate $1 to our organization!

*You must dine in on a Monday, purchase a beverage, and the promotion is limited to one entrée per person.

Thank you to Sedona Taphouse for their support of WFCM! !

On this we are flashing back to earlier this week when we enjoyed a staff dinner at Sedona Taphouse during Dine Out for Charity. One of our team members coordinates these quarterly after-hours staff get-togethers so we can chat, relax, and support a local business outside the daily work environment. It was a fun evening and we all enjoyed the delicious salmon, chicken, and steak specials!

Thank you, NVAR - Northern Virginia Association of Realtors® for inviting WFCM to participate in your "TPC in Tinseltown" event on December 6th. Our new Senior Manager of Community Engagement enjoyed meeting NVAR staff members, NVAR Cares team members, and NVAR's Top Producer's Club members.

We appreciate NVAR Cares' support of our client rent assistance program - they are truly a in the community!

It's time for Volunteer Appreciation, holiday style! Our Food & Volunteer Program Manager has decorated and set out special treats for the wonderful WFCM Volunteers to enjoy during each volunteer shift throughout December. Thank you to all these wonderful and dedicated !

During the month of December, enjoy 50% off a great meal at Sedona Taphouse in Chantilly while supporting WFCM!

For every* HALF PRICE 8 oz. Black Angus Flat Iron Steak, 8 oz. Grilled Chicken, or 7 oz. Norwegian Salmon entrée sold on Mondays in December, Sedona Taphouse will donate $1 to our organization!

*You must dine in on a Monday, purchase a beverage, and the promotion is limited to one entrée per person.

Thank you to Sedona Taphouse for their support of WFCM! !

Looking for a way to give back during the Season of Advent? Consider putting together a food box to donate to WFCM or your local food pantry with items listed on this Reverse Advent Calendar. Reverse Advent calendars focus on giving instead of getting and can be a great activity for a family, club, ministry group, or co-workers.
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Thank you to all the donors who chose to support WFCM yesterday on ! We raised $5,000, and in total, you have generously given $60,000 towards our year-end fundraising goal of $100,000 to continue the work of serving our neighbors in need of assistance. You keep our lights on and shelves stocked so we can offer the same to members of our community - thank you!

Because of You and Your Gift

This please consider making a donation to support families in our community who come to WFCM for the basic essential needs of food and housing assistance. Listen and learn more.

Because of You and Your Gift Because of You and Your Gift

WFCM provides food and emergency housing support to 600 families per month. Your donation keeps our pantry open 5-6 days per week so that we can meet these needs. When families come to WFCM, you are the reason that they receive groceries worth more than $60 per person including milk, eggs, meat, cooking essentials, and canned goods that they choose - that is $300+ of groceries for a family of 5.

Giving Tuesday is another way to get involved. Giving Tuesday is the charitable response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It has become the world’s biggest giving day of the year, with an estimated $3 billion+ pledged annually to help charities fulfill their missions. Please consider making a Giving Tuesday donation to WFCM tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are closed today and tomorrow in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Thank you for partnering with WFCM to ensure 850 families in our community who requested help with Thanksgiving groceries are enjoying holiday meals today.

We are excited to welcome Ruth Pearson to WFCM's Board of Directors!

Ruth works as corporate counsel for Barber Holding in Chantilly, VA. She has authored several Bible studies and radio dramas for Christ to the World Ministries, and her work has been included in several compilation books. Ruth has discovered the beautiful topography of Virginia by hiking the State’s scenic trails with her two daughters.

Ruth holds a JD from the University of Michigan Law School, and an MBA from Arcadia University (PA). She has over 25 years of experience working in the public interest and government sectors, holding positions as both a Deputy City Solicitor for the City of Philadelphia, as well as a Truancy Hearing Officer with the First Judicial District Family Court System.

Ruth is a and we are glad she has chosen to share her time and talent with WFCM.

On Saturday, we held our annual Thanksgiving Food Distribution. For the third consecutive year, we distributed via a drive-thru model. We were able to serve 560 families that day due to the support of our donors, volunteers, and Food Pantry staff members - and the CAREVan provided 28 COVID booster vaccines! In addition, we provided 40 boxes of Thanksgiving groceries (and fresh food) to Centreville Immigration Forum clients, 145 boxes of Thanksgiving groceries to Meals on Wheels clients living in western Fairfax County, and nearly 100 client families who came to pick up their boxes/fresh food on Monday. It takes a community to provide Thanksgiving groceries for 850 families but !

Thank you to all the donors who made this possible:
Accenture
Capital Area Food Bank
Cedar Run Community Church
Centreville United Methodist Church
Christ Presbyterian Church
Church of the Ascension
Church of the Epiphany Anglican
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Clifton Presbyterian Church
Fairfax Church of Christ
Gateway Community Church
King of Kings Lutheran Church and Preschool
Knights of Columbus, St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church
Lord of Life Lutheran Church
Ox Hill Baptist Church
Premium Distributors
PUMC (Mary Martha circle)
Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church
Saint Andrew Lutheran Church
Saint John’s Episcopal Church
Sorah Family
Union Mill Elementary
Westfield Business Owners Association
Westfields Marriott
Western Fairfax Women’s Club
Zion Worship Center

Across the nation and around the world, lack of access to healthy food results in malnutrition, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and many other issues. These are all exacerbated by the consequences of the global pandemic, straining the supply chains and leading families to find alternatives to fresh food. The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the annual opportunity for members of the federal community to support charities they care about through monetary and volunteer contributions. Members of the federal community are invited to participate in the CFC. This includes civilian federal employees, active-duty military members, Postal Service employees, federal retirees, and federal contractors. This week’s CFC focus addresses food and nutrition and nonprofit organizations like WFCM. WFCM’s CFC # is 64563. For those participating, please consider a donation that supports our mission to provide food and emergency financial rent and utility support for those at risk of hunger and homelessness in 9 zip codes.

When you are shopping for groceries this weekend (or anytime thru November 26), please consider Wegmans and rounding up to support WFCM as part of their Checkout Hunger program! ! Thank you.

Getting ready to provide Thanksgiving groceries for 1,000 families...

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We were happy to host the November Official Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce Dulles Executive Women (DEW) Committee meeting on Monday evening. The attendees learned a little more about WFCM, each other's businesses and the chamber, and then engaged in a volunteer project. The 10 participants sorted the food that will be delivered to the 11 Free Food Fridges at Fairfax County Public Schools this Thursday for 581 students. Truly, this was a room full of !

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Today is National Philanthropy Day. The purpose of this day is to recognize the great contributions of philanthropy – and those people active in the philanthropic community – to the enrichment of our world. National Philanthropy Day became official when President Reagan signed the official proclamation in 1986. The day provides an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of giving and all that it has made possible. The day celebrates the endless daily contributions individuals and organizations across the world make to countless causes and missions.

Thank you for working with WFCM to serve families in our community! Today is for you! !

Photographed are WFCM supporters at this year's Fall Fundraiser.

Thank you to the Sully District Boy Scouts, Coordinator Michael Adere, and all the community members who donated food to Western Fairfax Christian Ministries during Scouting for Food this year. We received 56,673 pounds of food and toiletries! At the beginning of the day, the warehouse was bare but by the end, nearly 2,000 crates of food were full and the shelves were stocked.

Special thanks to the nearly 100 volunteers at the sort site, in the warehouse, and in the pantry (including two special WFCM board members and their families) who worked alongside 5 WFCM staff members (and family members) with great energy and dedication all day!
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WFCM will be closed today, Friday, November 11th, in observance of Veteran's Day. Thank you to all those who served and are serving to protect and defend our country, with special gratitude to our Food Pantry Assistant Manager Patrick and former Board Treasurer Kevin.

We will be open for food and toiletry donations on Saturday, November 12th, from 9-11 am and re-open to serve clients on Monday, November 14th.

Virginia Department of Elections - Polling Place Lookup

Today is Election Day!
If you haven't already voted, polling places are open until 7:00 pm today.

Thank you to all the volunteer poll workers who make it possible for us to cast our votes.

Visit the site below to find your polling place.

Virginia Department of Elections - Polling Place Lookup We are constantly reviewing and updating our website to reflect the most up-to-date language translations and elections information. If you discover an issue with translations or the links to our website, please let us know at [email protected]

Annually at this time of year, Wegmans offers their customers the opportunity to add a donation to their purchase or round up, and 100% of the funds collected are given to local food banks. The Chantilly store, located at 14361 Newbrook Drive, is once again supporting WFCM. When you shop at Wegmans Chantilly thru November 26, you can make a difference by choosing to "Checkout Hunger" with a donation to WFCM.

The Wegmans family of employees and customers are truly . Please consider shopping at Wegmans Chantilly this month and choosing to round up at checkout.

Timeline photos

Yesterday, on November 1st, WFCM, along with 20 other non-profit community organizations in Fairfax County, was recognized by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. The proclamation noted that WFCM and these partners have met the unprecedented need for assistance for over two years since the start of the pandemic by "stepping up and offering expertise and resources" as well as "using existing and enhanced structures and delivery models to ensure that residents facing economic vulnerability were able to meet their basic needs."

The Board of Supervisors thanked the non-profit partners' staff and recognized and expressed gratitude for the "tireless support of the county's nonprofit community partners and their thousands of volunteers and financial supporters."



Photographed with the WFCM staff members are Fairfax County Government Department of Neighborhood and Community Services Leaders

On this we want to thank our friends at Wegmans Chantilly for partnering with WFCM for their Checkout Hunger program. When you grocery shop at Wegmans on Newbrook Drive in Chantilly thru November 26th, you can round up or make an additional donation at the register to support the work of WFCM.

Wegmans is a long-time partner, and we appreciate the way they act as a by connecting Wegmans customers to WFCM's clients through Checkout Hunger!

Congratulations to Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington on their Great Bid Kid Event last week, which raised $38,000 for the great programs they offer in our community. We are incredibly excited that the Ox Hill Branch team (in Chantilly) won the honor of Great Big Kid mentor/mentee, as that is where WFCM has our Free Food Fridge.

We are thankful for our partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington and appreciate them inviting our Executive Director and Director of Client Operations & Programs to attend this event.

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On this , we are happy to share that Revolutionary Solutions, LLC has joined as an Annual Business Sponsor at the Friend Level. Revolutionary Solutions CEO, Rosemarie Floyd graduated from the Leadership Fairfax, Inc. LFI program earlier this year with our Executive Director and has become a for WFCM. We were happy to host a meeting for the AFCEA Women in NOVA Committee earlier this week, on which Rosemarie serves as the Board Co-Chair.

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We are getting ready for our Thanksgiving Food Distribution! Our talented Director of Client Operations & Programs, Pamela, and Client Services Specialist & Program Manager, Dolly, are even ready with the turkey bags that they hand-crocheted to hold their phones, gloves, and other essentials during the distribution. They are and ready to serve!

Thank you to all of the congregations, businesses, and individuals who have committed to donating food boxes and funds for turkeys, chickens, eggs, milk, and other fresh food items that will be provided to hundreds of families in our community. !