Amazon Donates $250K To Address Student Hunger In Arlington, DC

ARLINGTON, VA — Amazon is donating more than $250,000 of products from Amazon Fresh to three organizations in Arlington and Washington, D.C., to help students in the area have better access to fresh food and essential toiletries, the company announced Tuesday.

Together with Food For Neighbors, Abingdon Elementary School and the DC Food Project, Amazon on Tuesday also unveiled a new food pantry at Arlington Community High School. The company's latest donations to the community come as it aims to open the first part of its second headquarters, or HQ2, project in Arlington next summer.

“Amazon Fresh is committed to being a great neighbor, and it is important to us to support students in elementary, middle, and high school have the food they need to succeed,” Amazon Fresh District Manager Jim Gillespie said in a statement.

According to Capital Area Food Bank, nearly one out of 10 residents of the D.C. area are food insecure, and nearly a third of those people are children.

At Tuesday’s “grand opening” of the new food pantry at Arlington Community High School, volunteers from Amazon and the three groups finished stocking shelves.

In Arlington, Abingdon Elementary School is using Amazon’s donation to build snack baskets in each of its classrooms. The baskets will be filled with items like granola bars, cheese crackers, and applesauce, from Amazon Fresh.

DC Food Project plans to use Amazon’s donation toward its Pantry Program, a place where students can receive food and other items they need either throughout the school day, when the school day has ended or on weekends.

“We are thrilled to have Amazon’s generous support as we roll out our services to Arlington Public Schools — this is a big investment in the local community,” said Karen Joseph, founder and executive director of Food For Neighbors.

Amazon said the $250,000 will support hundreds of students facing food insecurity across the area. With rising food costs and the elimination of the USDA food waivers that allowed all children to eat free school lunch regardless of income, Amazon said it wants to help more students have food and toiletries from Amazon Fresh throughout the Arlington and D.C. area.

Amazon has hired more than 5,000 employees assigned to its HQ2 in Arlington and expects to fulfill its pledge to create 25,000 corporate jobs in the county, InsideNoVa reported Tuesday.

Speaking last week to the Prince William Chamber of Commerce, Jack Phillippi, senior manager for community engagement with Amazon, also said Amazon’s first development at National Landing, Metropolitan Park, will open next summer, according to the report.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America since 2020 to help raise awareness of hunger in our local communities, a persistent national problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that 1 in 8 people face hunger. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.