Celebrating Two Anniversaries

Assistance League of Northern Virginia has a lot to celebrate this year! The nonprofit marks not only the 20th anniversary of its establishment as a chapter of the National Assistance League organization, but 14 years of providing meals for children who might otherwise go hungry on weekends, and a 12-year partnership with Dominion Energy.

From its formation in 2004, Assistance League has grown and expanded its programs and ability to help students at Title 1 elementary schools in the community. Its philanthropic programs attempt to address the needs of the total child. Therefore, Assistance League provides food, clothing, sneakers, hygiene items, books and literacy support to the most vulnerable children in the community. The chapter has garnered honors and recognition for its efforts.

Assistance League’s most ambitious program is Weekend Food for Kids, by which it provides shelf-stable food to 6 elementary schools to ensure that students have food to eat on weekends when school-supplied meals are not available. That program began in 2010 on a small scale, with members packing and delivering a few bags to a few schools and it continues today. So, 2024 marks 14 years of helping students come to school on Mondays with their stomachs full so they can focus on learning.

In 2012, Assistance League of Northern Virginia began a partnership with Dominion Energy that enabled it to increase both the number of food bags provided and the number of schools served. That partnership allows the nonprofit to use Dominion’s facilities in Herndon for this effort. Dominion employees help pack the bags. Dominion also provides their trucks and drivers to deliver the food bags. Assistance League now delivers 1720 food bags each month in the school year to 3 schools in Prince William County and 3 in Fairfax County. That level of coverage would not be possible without the substantial help from Dominion. Assistance League is forever grateful for its 12 years of partnering with Dominion and hopes that continues for another dozen years, at least.

To get an idea of the impressive logistics of a food packing and the joy participants have helping with this important program, check out the video that Peggy Fox and Dominion recently produced: https://youtu.be/nGBRcEtffnY