Food program helps Culmore residents support their families
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| Culmore residents collect produce |
Many of the families living in the Culmore community would
have a hard time feeding their families if it weren’t for the twice-monthly
food distribution program organized by the Legal Aid Justice Center.
On a recent rainy Thursday morning, about 80 people, most of
them immigrants from Central America, lined up in the parking lot by
the 7-Eleven on Glen Carlyn Drive in Bailey’s Crossroads to collect fresh
produce – potatoes, cabbages, corn, sweet potatoes, watermelon halves – and packaged
meals and drinks, all from the Capital Area Food Bank.
them immigrants from Central America, lined up in the parking lot by
the 7-Eleven on Glen Carlyn Drive in Bailey’s Crossroads to collect fresh
produce – potatoes, cabbages, corn, sweet potatoes, watermelon halves – and packaged
meals and drinks, all from the Capital Area Food Bank.
Many of those who came to pick up food are facing severe
financial hardships and often face empty cupboards at the end of the month, says Alejandra Caballero, a community developer with the
Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services. Many Culmore residents are undocumented, and they don’t ask for financial assistance because they
don’t want to do anything to jeopardize their chances of having their status
adjusted, she says, even though children born in the U.S. are eligible for federal aid.
financial hardships and often face empty cupboards at the end of the month, says Alejandra Caballero, a community developer with the
Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services. Many Culmore residents are undocumented, and they don’t ask for financial assistance because they
don’t want to do anything to jeopardize their chances of having their status
adjusted, she says, even though children born in the U.S. are eligible for federal aid.
The Culmore food distribution takes places on the first and
fourth Thursday of the month. The owner of the 7-Eleven provides trash bags and
cleaning supplies. Day laborers who congregate in front of the
store help with the food delivery and cleanup.
fourth Thursday of the month. The owner of the 7-Eleven provides trash bags and
cleaning supplies. Day laborers who congregate in front of the
store help with the food delivery and cleanup.
The program is not just about handing out food, though. It’s also an
opportunity to share information and build community. Claudia Quevedo, a
community organizer with the Legal Aid Justice Center, spoke to people waiting
in line about various issues, including the recent homicide in Culmore,
the status of a lawsuit against the landlord of the Olde Salem Village
apartments, and.an upcoming Latino Festival in Seven
Corners (Oct. 18 at the Willston Center).
The Legal Aid Justice Center, a group that provides legal representation to low-income people, also distributes food from the Capital
Area Food Bank at the end of Wadsworth Court
in the Fairmont Gardens apartments in Annandale on the second and third
Wednesday of the month.
The center recently moved its Falls Church office from
the BB&T building in Seven Corners to 6066
Leesburg Pike in the same building housing the temporary quarters of the Woodrow Wilson Library during the library renovation.
the BB&T building in Seven Corners to 6066
Leesburg Pike in the same building housing the temporary quarters of the Woodrow Wilson Library during the library renovation.
3 responses to “Food program helps Culmore residents support their families”
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This program probably works just like the ones in McLean, Great Falls, Oakton, and Vienna…oh wait, they're not in Mason District so no one there fits the profile.
The profile of needing a Starbucks and a CVS every three blocks?
Fascinating how every response to what's happening in Mason District is to talk about how awful it is here, and every response to potential investment in Mason District is to complain about how it will change Mason District. From the tone of the posts, I suspect–despite the contradictions–that they come from the same folks.