Volunteers Needed for Food Distribution Program
By B_Mark_Gunderman
Spotlight Event - Come Sinners and Saints!
LINK Thanksgiving Food Baskets, Nov. 17th (Need Spanish Speaking Volunteers)
LINK, an all-volunteer organization since 1972, has provided over 35 years of service excellence and cordially invites everyone to participate as volunteers in our annual Thanksgiving and Christmas Food Basket events. See attached document which reflects the year round activity of deliveries directly to peoples homes.
Volunteers are needed to assist each family in selecting their 5-day allotment of super market style food items and ensuring that they receive a grocery gift certificate. Volunteers are also needed to restock shelves and load food into family vehicles. LINK especially needs many people who can give an hour or two to volunteer as Spanish interpreters. Please ask your peers and children (8 years and older) to come out and participate in these very empowering, emotional and gratifying Thanksgiving and Christmas event experiences.
LINK is seeking volunteers to come out for 2 hour increments (7:30-10, 10-12 and 12-2, 2-4 and Clean-up). Volunteers can register by email to VolunteerCoordinator@LINKInc.us. Please include in your message your name, telephone number, preferred location (Trinity Presbyterian in Herndon or Christ the Redeemer in Sterling), date, time slot and the position that you are volunteering to fill. Or, if you do not have access to email, you can phone 703 437-1776 and follow the prompts to leave a message with the information above. For more information go to the LINK website at www.linkagainsthunger.org. Look for the Holiday Basket Programs.
Events will occur on the following dates and locations:
Volunteers needed at Christ the Redeemer and Trinity Presbyterian for pre-staging the week before distribution:
Monday, Nov. 12 - Sorting food from 9:00 am to 12 noon; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Tuesday, Nov. 13 - Sorting food from 9:00 am to 12 noon; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Wednesday, Nov. 14 - closed
Thursday, Nov. 15 - Sorting food from 9:00 am to 12 noon; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Friday, Nov. 16 - Sorting food from 9:00 am until finished.
Saturday November 17 - LINK Thanksgiving Food Basket Distribution; 7:30 AM - 4 PM; Trinity Presbyterian in Herndon
Saturday November 17 – LINK Thanksgiving Food Basket Distribution; 7:30 AM - 4 PM; Christ the Redeemer Catholic in Sterling
LINK Christmas Food Baskets, Dec. 15th (Need Spanish Speaking Volunteers)
The information above (times, contact information…) applies here as well. The Christmas Food Basket preparation will take place on the following:
Saturday December 15 - LINK Christmas Food Basket Distribution; 7:30 AM - 4 PM; Trinity Presbyterian in Herndon
Saturday December 15 - LINK Christmas Food Basket Distribution; 7:30 AM - 4 PM; Christ the Redeemer Catholic in Sterling
To provide additional insight to the enormity of the event: at the 2006 annual 11/18 Thanksgiving and 12/16 Christmas events, 705 registered needy local families (including 1,565 adults, 1,970 children) selected their 5-day allotment of non-perishable food items and received $15,590.00 in grocery gift certificates and 3,500 lbs of butchered and packaged deer (venison) meat. 49 walk-in families in great need were also received. Over 500 volunteers supported the pre-staging of these events, assisted guests during the event day, and helped restock shelves with 48,000 lbs of groceries and load food into guest vehicles, made 67 direct deliveries of groceries and 22 direct deliveries of toys to the homes of people who did not have transportation to the distribution sites. Approximately 2,500 toys were provided to 320 families comprising 980 children. 600 used winter coats were also distributed to folks in need. LINK received food donations from Scouting for Food, 40 public and private schools in Fairfax and Loudoun, churches, local businesses, and local grocers.
God bless our great community!
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