Help the needy on Day to Serve, Sept. 13

A volunteer collects donated groceries at the Annandale Giant during the 2013 Day to Serve. [ACCA photo]

Local residents are encouraged to contribute food items during Day to Serve, an interfaith community service event on Sept. 13 aimed at filling the food pantries operated by Annandale Christian Community for Action (ACCA) and the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church.

Volunteers will be collecting food donations at the Giant grocery store at 7317 Columbia Pike in Annandale and the Shoppers Food Warehouse at 6360 Seven Corners Center in Falls Church on that day from 9 a.m. until approximately 3 p.m.

Participating religious institutions include John Calvin Presbyterian Church, the Baha’i Faith, Ravensworth Baptist Church, Dar Al-Hijrah, and the Annandale Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Day to Serve began in 2012 as a collaboration among the governors of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia and the mayor of Washington, D.C. Setting aside political differences, they worked together to feed the hungry and improve their communities. They invited all citizens, faith groups, businesses, and community organizations to join the cause, encouraging the creativity of individuals, families, groups, and communities to meet the needs they saw in their own backyards.

The Fairfax County Clergy and Leadership Council has called on faith communities to work together to observe this year’s Day to Serve with an interfaith effort.