Annandale Neighorhood Center faces cutbacks

On a recent Thursday evening, the Annandale Neighborhood Center was hopping. Families hard hit by the faltering economy filled bags with fresh produce, bread, and other donated items.

Young children built block towers and watched “Bolt.” And a teenager killed time between a summer school class and his job at a CVS watching videos on YouTube.

The center, located in a trailer behind Annandale High School, is many things to many people: an after-school center where students can do homework and hang out; a gathering spot for civic

associations, business groups, and other organizations; and a place to meet one’s neighbors while learning a craft or hearing a speaker.

It hosts teen movie nights for kids and teens, parent coffees, intergenerational game nights, community potlucks, knitting hours, field trips, ice cream socials, and summer afternoon activities for kids with water balloons and sprinklers. It’s all free of charge.

One activity that center coordinator Jessica Green is most proud of is Princess for a Night, where lots of volunteers helped more than 60 teenage girls select donated prom dresses, accessories, and bags full of cosmetics.

The Annandale Neighborhood Center, one of five in Fairfax County, was created as a partnership among the county recreation department, public school system, and Alternative House, a residential program for troubled teens.

The Alternative House has provided staffing for the center since it opened in August 2007. It’s generally been open all day and evening during weekdays, with some sports events sometimes scheduled on Saturdays. But county budget cuts—from $150,000 a year to less than a third of that—are forcing some changes: The center will close in August and will reopen in September under county management with more limited hours, 3-8 p.m. The last event under the current arrangement will be a farewell potluck for Green with karaoke and a DJ. Green will return to work at Alternative House.

Typically, the weekly food distribution program serves about 100 people. Volunteers, usually from a local religious organization, pick up the food from the Food for Others warehouse in Merrifield and hand it out to anyone who shows up. No IDs or proof of need are required. Recent volunteers are from the Little River United Church of Christ, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, and the Jewish Community Center.

It’s unfortunate that the Annandale Neighborhood Center is facing budget and staff cuts at a time when the number of needy families in the area is growing.