LINK food pantry celebrates 50 years of food assistance to Fairfax County - Fairfaxtimes.com

“I’ve learned to trust… When radical cognize there’s a problem, they tin beryllium precise generous,” said LINK Food Pantry Manager Bob Ashdown. That generosity is wherefore the ample enactment celebrated their 50-year day successful Herndon connected Oct. 16.

The volunteer-driven nonprofit is simply a collaboration of churches, organizations, and individuals to supply exigency nutrient and fiscal enactment to Fairfax and Loudoun County residents. They docket location deliveries to qualified families and individuals.

There’s astir a 5 day’s proviso of nutrient from their pantry and certificates to acquisition nutrient successful each delivery. Some of the unopened, perishable nutrient is rescued from section groceries, restaurants, and schools. They donate nutrient to different section organizations arsenic well.

The day lawsuit was a “chance for [donors] to spot wherever the magic happens and conscionable accidental convey you to everybody for what they’ve done and are doing,” said LINK President and Food Committee Chair Lisa Lombardozzi.

People from LINK’s board, religion liaisons, regular donors, and loyal volunteers were invited to the event. “It was a clip for maine to … get to cognize immoderate of the radical I’ve been moving with,” said unpaid Ed Maixner from Herndon.

Maixner has been volunteering with LINK for the past 4 years arsenic a (self-identified) “delivery cowboy.” He heard astir LINK done his religion and was drawn successful erstwhile helium got involved, arsenic is often the lawsuit for their volunteers.

Ashdown has been volunteering with LINK ever since 2003 erstwhile helium was recently retired and responded to 1 of their bulletin posts astatine his church. His engagement stems from his faith. The nuns astatine his Catholic precocious schoolhouse encouraged him to beryllium progressive successful his community.

“That thought of getting progressive evolved implicit clip to conscionable taking vantage of opportunities that exist. I’ve been doing it for a agelong clip successful antithetic ways,” helium said.

“My parents were ever progressive successful the assemblage truthful … I’ve ever recovered someplace that fits what I’m looking for astatine the time… I couldn’t ideate not volunteering [somewhere],” said Lombardozzi, who inherited her thrust from her parents.

Lombardozzi started remotely volunteering astir 20 years agone portion her kids were successful simple school. “As clip allowed, I took connected much responsibility,” she said. She began coordinating LINK’s vacation programme and became president from there.

“I got asked to beryllium the pantry manager [by] the past president and my reply was no,” said Ashdown, chuckling aft describing however helium assumed coordinating the market pickup years ago. “I thought astir it, said a supplication oregon two, and past called backmost and said, ‘OK I’ll bash it.’”

“I didn’t cognize you knew that word, Bob,” Lombardozzi said laughing astir Ashdown saying no. “It lone lasted for 15 minutes,” helium answered.

LINK embodies the connection yes, increasing their operations and interaction implicit the years. 

“When the pandemic hit, we gained 1,500 families and radical successful a period oregon 2 who had ne'er asked for assistance and needed it,” Lombardozzi said. “So galore radical felt comfy capable to scope retired to america for help.”

“We delivered up to 30 families a time 7 days a week for [about] 5 months and we couldn’t person done it if radical hadn’t said, ‘I privation to help, conscionable amusement maine what I request to do,’” Lombardozzi said.

“If we marque it casual for radical to get involved, to donate, they will,” Ashdown added, eliciting “Field of Dreams” for inspiration.

LINK’s strategy for delivering nutrient to people’s homes was indispensable passim the pandemic but, Ashdown noted, is unsocial since radical don’t person to sacrifice a workday to prime up nutrient from the pantry.

“The quality of nutrient insecurity is this representation of radical who are stateless and not working… Most of the radical we springiness nutrient to are retired determination working,” Ashdown said.

Their 2022 vacation programme connected Nov. 19 and Dec. 17 volition beryllium acceptable up arsenic a drive-through to prime up astir a week’s worthy of food, positive coats and toys. LINK anticipates gathering the request for the 1,400 pre-registered families with the assistance of assemblage donations.

“You ne'er cognize who it is that’s asking for help; it could beryllium the idiosyncratic adjacent doorway oregon crossed the street,” Lombardozzi said. No substance wherever the request comes from, LINK trusts that they tin conscionable it.

Go to https://bit.ly/3D9JlEa oregon telephone 703-437-1776 if you request assistance oregon privation to find retired much astir supporting LINK