WISH LIST $100: a week’s worth of food for 15 families; $500: 5000 pounds of food; $1000: all of AFAC’s costs to feed 1 family for an entire year

A bag of canned goods and staples; a half-gallon of milk and a dozen eggs; meat, produce, and bread when the pantry is bare. This is what the Arlington Food Assistance Center means to the nearly 8% of Arlington families living below the poverty line, and to others who simply can’t afford the food they need. That’s nearly 700 families a week: the working poor, the temporarily jobless, the elderly on fixed incomes, the physically or mentally ill. Over a third are children. Referred by the county, local churches, and social service agencies, they find sustenance at AFAC, the only organization in Arlington devoted solely to this purpose. About 60% of the food is donated by grocery stores, church and business food drives, and individuals. The balance is purchased from the Capital Area Food Bank and local wholesalers at the lowest possible prices. Volunteers donate an extraordinary 17,000 hours a year. You can volunteer your resources too, and reach out to those who need you – right in your own back yard.

Christine Lucas, Executive Director 2708 South Nelson Street Arlington, VA 22206 (703) 845-8486 www.afacinfo.org