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St. George,'s, Arlington Fights Hunger Every weekday at lunch time they gather in St. George’s parking lot at North Ninth and Oakland Streets in Arlington. A few come on bicycles, but mostly they walk with backpacks and plastic bags stuffed with all they own. Men are the majority, but a handful of women arrive, occasionally with a child in tow or one on the way. They are vets, computer experts, weightlifters, philosophers, day laborers and former homemakers. Some are neatly dressed and cheerful, ready to discuss books or current events; others are scruffy and wary, shuffling along with hardly a word. They are all hungry. Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., two volunteers enable St. George’s Food Pantry to distribute a take-away lunch to people who otherwise would not eat. They operate from the back of the chapel—which hosts the 33-year-old Spanish language Episcopal congregation of San José on Sundays—from a stock of canned and packaged food. The volunteers treat their clients with dignity and try to connect them with agencies and organizations that can help them put their lives together. People in need have increased sharply with a 22 percent increase since 2004. Presently, about 42 people line up for food each day. The Food Pantry began in 1988 when the church’s secretary started keeping crackers in her desk for the increasing number of people asking St. George’s for food. In wealthy Arlington, their number was a revelation to the church’s rector. With his encouragement, a few parishioners began to distribute food from an office closet. The operation now has over 45 volunteers—both St. George’s parishioners and others who live and work in the surrounding community—serving 10,000 meals a year. Volunteers span the age spectrum from teens to 90-plus. The Food Pantry’s original purpose—to provide food with dignity for those in need—remains the same. Individual volunteers have differing motivations for participating. Some do it as a way “to make God known in central Arlington,” as St. George’s mission statement urges; others because they grew up during the Great Depression and know what it’s like to be hungry; still others to make Arlington a better place by eliminating hunger. Whatever their motivation, St. George’s is grateful for their efforts. Over the years thousands of clients (about 126,000 since we began keeping records in 1994) have received a balanced meal from people who will listen and many clients have given back touching expressions of gratitude. Devoted volunteers have discovered that those in need are real people with compelling stories. For more information, visit www.saintgeorgeschurch.org/ministries_outreach_foodpantry.htm. If you live or work in Arlington and could spend one lunch hour a month as a volunteer, contact us (703-525-8286). We also welcome canned food donations or your tax-deductible cash contributions (Make checks payable to St. George’s and write “Food Pantry” on the memo line.) Our address is 915 N Oakland St, Arlington VA 22203-1916. |
| 110 West Franklin Street + Richmond, Virginia 23220-5095 + (800) DIOCESE + (804) 643 8451 + Facsimile (804) 644 6928 |  |
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