Food Ministry

“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” –Isaiah 55:1-13

At least two thirds of the Diocese of Virginia’s congregations are involved in food ministry in some way.  Below this ministry is broken down into categories which in no way encompass all the ways we are feeding our neighbors. Click on the links to find out more about how individual parishes conduct their ministries.

• Winter 2014 Newsletter Update for Winter 2015 Newsletter?
• Fall 2013 Newsletter

Backpack Programs

Backpack Programs provide meals over the weekend for children on free or reduced lunch in elementary or middle school. These children get a backpack on Friday afternoons to take home which may be the only food they have until they return to school on Monday.

• Abingdon Parish, Gloucester
• Calvary, Front Royal
• Christ Church, Winchester
• Grace, Berryville
• St. Andrew's Preschool, Burke
• St. David’s, Ashburn
• St. James’, Leesburg
• St. Matthew's, Sterling
• St. Stephen’s, Richmond
• Trinity, Fredericksburg
• Trinity, Manassas
• Ware, Gloucester

Community Dinners and Hot Meals

Congregations provide food, volunteers to cook and serve hot meals to those in need throughout the year.

All Saints-Sharon Chapel, Alexandria Aquia, Stafford Calvary, Front Royal Christ Church, Alexandria Church of the Holy Cross, Dunn Loring Church of Our Saviour, Charlottesville The Fork Church, Doswell Grace, Alexandria Grace & Holy Trinity, Richmond Holy Comforter, Richmond Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, Alexandria                          Meade Memorial, Alexandria Meade Memorial Church, White Post St. Andrew’s, Richmond St. Anne’s, Reston St. Clement, Alexandria St. David’s, Ashburn St. Francis’, Great Falls St. George’s, Fredericksburg

St. James’s, Richmond St. John’s, Tappahannock St. Luke’s, Remington St. Mark’s, Alexandria St. Mark’s, Richmond St. Mary’s, Arlington St. Paul’s, Alexandria St. Paul’s, Millers Tavern St. Paul’s, Richmond St. Paul’s Church-on-the-Hill, Winchester                St. Paul’s Memorial, Charlottesville St. Peter’s, Arlington St. Peter's, Port Royal St. Stephen's, Catlett St. Stephen’s, Richmond St. Timothy’s, Herndon Trinity, Highland Spring Trinity, Manassas

1) St. Peter's, Arlington So Others May Eat (SOME) cook team; 2) St. David's, Ashburn Cooks for Christ team hard at work; 3) Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, Alexandria meal team.

 

Community Gardens

Parishes support a community garden where most of the food grown gets donated to local food banks.

• All Souls’, Mechanicsville
• Christ the King, Harrisonburg
• Grace, Alexandria
• Immanuel Old Church, Mechanicsville
• St. David's, Ashburn
• St. George’s, Fredericksburg
• St. Mark’s, Alexandria
• St. Paul's, Bailey's Crossroads, Falls Church
• St. Paul’s Memorial, Charlottesville
• St. Stephen's, Richmond
• Trinity, Charlottesville
• Emmanuel, Brook Hill

 

1. A volunteer harvests the crop at All Souls', Mechanicsville; 2) Christ the King, Harrisonburg advertises their community garden; 3) Volunteers display their abundant harvest from Christ the King, Harrisonburg garden.

 

Food Baskets & Bagged Lunch Programs

Parishioners provide nourishment through a packed lunch to the homeless, shelters or the needy within their congregation.

Christ Church, Alexandria Church of the Resurrection, Alexandria Church of Our Saviour, Charlottesville Cunningham Chapel Parish, Millwood                              Emmanuel Church, Alexandria Emmanuel, Greenwood Grace, Alexandria Grace Church, Cismont, Keswick Meade Memorial, Alexandria Meade Memorial, White Post St. Anne’s, Reston St. Clement, Alexandria St. David’s, Ashburn St. Francis’, Great Falls St. George’s, Arlington St. George's, Fredericksburg

St. James’, Leesburg St. John’s, Arlington St. John’s, McLean St. Mary’s, Arlington St. Mary’s, Richmond, Goochland St. Michael’s, Arlington St. Paul's, Hanover St. Peter’s, Richmond St. Phillip’s, Richmond St. Stephen's, Catlett St. Stephen’s, Richmond Trinity, Arlington Trinity, Fredericksburg Trinity, Manassas Westover, Charles City

 

Food Pantry

The following parishes have their own food pantry or food closet which serves those in need.

Buck Mountain, Earlysville Christ Ascension, Richmond Christ Church, Alexandria Christ Church, Brandy Station Christ Church, Spotsylvania Church of the Creator, Mechanicsville Church of Our Saviour, Charlottesville Church of Our Saviour, Montpelier Church of Resurrection, Alexandria Cunningham Chapel Parish, Millwood                              Emmanuel, Harrisonburg Epiphany, Oak Hill Grace, Alexandria Grace, Keswick Holy Comforter, Richmond St. Anne’s, Reston St. George’s, Arlington

St. George’s, Fredericksburg St. John’s, Tappahannock St. Mark’s, Richmond St. Mary's, Colonial Beach St. Mary’s, Richmond, Goochland St. Paul’s, Church-on-the-Hill, Winchester St. Paul's, Ivy St. Paul’s, Richmond St. Peter's, Richmond St. Philip's, Richmond St. Stephen’s, Culpeper St. Stephen's, Richmond St. Thomas’, Richmond St. Timothy's, Herndon Trinity, Manassas Varina, Henrico VCU Campus Ministry (Grace & Holy Trinity, Richmond)

1) Holy Comforter, Richmond wheels out its donations; 2) St. Mark's, Richmond parishioner fills bags to have on hand for their food pantry; 3) St. Paul's Church-on-the-Hill, Winchester receives donations for its food pantry.

 

Meals on Wheels

This local organization allows parishioners to volunteer to take meals to homebound residents and provide a bit company to people who are often lonely.

Abingdon Parish, Gloucester Christ Church, Alexandria Emmanuel Church, Alexandria Grace, Goochland Grace, Kilmarnock Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, Alexandria                         St. Aiden’s, Alexandria St. Andrew's, Arlington St. Anne’s, Reston

St. George's, Arlington St. John’s, Arlington St. John’s, Warsaw St. Michael’s, Arlington St. Paul’s, Alexandria St. Peter’s, Arlington St. Peter’s, New Kent Westover Church, Charles City Wicomico Parish, Wicomico

 

Partnerships with Other Churches or Local Non-Profits

Many parishes support local food banks and other parishes support food ministries or non-profits through donations or volunteers.

Abingdon Parish, Gloucester All Saints-Sharon Chapel, Alexandria Christ Church, Glen Allen Christ Church, Middlesex Christ Church, Winchester Church of the Epiphany, Herndon Church of the Epiphany, Richmond Church of the Good Shepherd, Burke Church of the Holy Cross, Dunn Loring Church of Our Redeemer, Aldie Church of the Resurrection, Alexandria Emmanuel Church, Alexandria Emmanuel, Brook Hill, Richmond Emmanuel Church, Greenwood Emmanuel, Middleburg Emmanuel Parish, Piedmont Parish, Delaplane              Epiphany, Oak Hill The Fork Church, Doswell Grace, Kilmarnock Holy Comforter, Vienna Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, Alexandria Little Fork Church, Rixeyville Olivet Church, Franconia, Alexandria Pohick, Lorton St. Alban’s, Annandale St. Andrew’s, Arlington St. Andrew’s, Burke St. Andrew's, Oregon Hill St. Anne’s, Reston St. Asaph’s, Bowling Green St. Barnabas’, Annandale St. Bartholomew’s, Richmond St. Christopher’s, Springfield St. Clement, Alexandria St. David’s, Ashburn St. David's, Aylett

St. Dunstan’s, McLean St. Francis’, Great Falls St. Gabriel’s, Leesburg St. George’s, Arlington St. James’s, Richmond St. John’s, Arlington St. John’s, McLean St. John’s, Richmond St. John’s, Warsaw St. John’s, West Point St. John the Baptist, Ivy St. Mark’s, Alexandria St. Martin’s, Richmond St. Mary’s, Arlington St. Matthew’s, Richmond St. Matthew’s, Sterling St. Michael’s, Arlington St. Paul’s, Alexandria St. Paul’s, Bailey’s Crossroads, Falls Church St. Paul's, Hanover St. Paul’s, Owens St. Paul’s, Miller Tavern St. Paul’s Memorial, Charlottesville St. Peter’s, Arlington St. Peter’s, Oak Grove St. Peter’s, Purcellville St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School, Alexandria St. Stephen's, Catlett St. Stephen’s, Richmond St. Thomas’, McLean St. Timothy’s, Herndon Trinity, Charlottesville Trinity, Fredericksburg Trinity, Highland Springs Trinity, Upperville Wicomico Parish, Wicomico

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resources

• Presiding Bishop Lent Message 2013: "Learn more, give alms, share what you have."
• Bishop Goff’s Sermon from Annual Council, January 25, 2013
• "To Market, To Market", Virginia Episcopalian, Summer 2012
• "Mustard Seed Focus on Food," Virginia Episcoplian, Fall 2012

Tell Us More 

Are you interested in getting involved with our feeding ministries?  Do you have an existing ministry or connection?  Send your comments to Buck Blanchard.