Purpose

ALexandrians InVolved Ecumenically (ALIVE!) is a nonprofit organization of nearly 40 Christian, Jewish and B’ahi congregations working with the community to help those in need in Alexandria through the Last Saturday Food Distribution Program and other services.

Description

ALexandrians InVolved Ecumenically (ALIVE!) was established as a nonprofit organization as a mechanism to pool resources within the faith-based community to help those in need in ways that could not be efficiently accomplished by congregations working on their own.  Various programs and services are offered, including the Last Saturday Food Distribution program (LSFD).

A 3-day supply of surplus fresh produce and staple foods is distributed by volunteers once a month to families referred by social service agencies, schools, ALIVE! congregations, and others.  The program operates on the last Saturday of each month, except in December when it is scheduled for a middle Saturday. Distribution sites are established at locations in various parts of the community.

Persons interested in volunteering simply show up at a food distribution site or may complete a volunteer application form to indicate their experience, contact information, when available, and areas of interest.  A volunteer chairperson is designated to coordinate arrangements at each location.  Volunteers are especially needed as interpreters for the diverse Spanish, Korean, and Middle Eastern communities.

The volunteer form is available on-line and may be submitted electronically.  Volunteer assignments include:

• Picking up food items from the food bank
• Unloading and packaging food
• Coordinating food distribution day
• Determining eligibility and assisting clients in filling out the USDA eligibility forms
• Recordkeeping and data entry of client  eligibility, number of households and families served, and the amount of food distributed
• Cleanup and reorganization of food site facility.

Food items are obtained through:

• Capital Area Food Bank, which distributes surplus USDA foods through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which is under USDA’s Commodity Food Network administered by the state
• Food items collected by ALIVE! congregations
• Special food collection drives – Examples include organized food drives by the U.S. Postal Service, local government, and business and hospital employees.  Other food drives include donated food items as part of other events such as (a) added as a non-required part of entry fee for the annual Thanksgiving Day 5K Turkey Trot, (b) brought as an item to community pot-luck suppers, and (c) Boy Scouts placing bags for donated food on doors throughout the city with scheduled pick-up days.
• Community food collection sites

Costs of obtaining non-USDA items from the food bank are covered through special fundraising activities, along with monies contributed by ALIVE! congregations.

The greatest levels of volunteer involvement occur on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.  Delivery of dry and canned goods from the food bank happens on Friday or Saturday at which time volunteers unload and begin dividing items into food packages.  A list of various items available through TEFAP can be accessed on-line, along with nutritional information and recipes for many items (i.e. see Pinto Beans, Dried).

Assistance is provided for family units ranging from the elderly living alone to large families.  Two bags of food are provided for single individuals and small families and double the number of bags for large families.  A range of items are included such as large cans of fruit juice, cereal, dried milk, eggs, rice/pasta, pasta sauce, one or two cans each of fruit, soup and vegetables, one or two cans of salmon or tuna, raisins, pudding, pre-processed ground beef, cookies, crackers, etc. depending upon availability.  Supplemental items are purchased to help create balanced nutrition.

The food bank also delivers fresh produce on Saturday morning (lettuce, potatoes, carrots, onions, etc.).  Bread, crackers and cookies are also delivered on Saturday morning.  Produce and bread products are added to the food bags to be taken in designated amounts by each client on a first-come, first-served basis.

Some sites have a Selection Table for clients to obtain other food items that are only available in limited quantities.  These could include items that were purchased inexpensively such as jars of peanut butter, cake mixes, toothpaste, and soap.

Household items, donated by Alexandria citizens, are also gathered and distributed at Last Saturday.  These may include sheets, towels, pots, pans, dishes, silverware and decorative items.  A bigger item or two is selected when available as a raffle item.  Examples for the raffle prize have been used TV’s, microwaves, or stereos in good condition.

Volunteers arrive between 8:00 – 8:30 AM on Saturday to bag the food and distribute it to low-income clients.  Clients often arrive as early as 7:30 AM to get in line and be among the first served.  Waiting clients are given numbers that are used to serve people in the order that they arrive, as well as for the raffle.  At one site, volunteers prepare baked goods to serve to clients while they are waiting and the church organist performs.  A children’s area is provided with a TV showing an age-appropriate video.  ALIVE! religiously follows it’s longstanding policy of not proselytizing in any manner.

Food distribution begins at 10:00 AM and is usually completed by 11:30 AM.  ALIVE! has three locations for Last Saturdays that serve an average of 150-200 households representing 400-500 people at each site.  The locations include a public school, a church, and a public housing site.

Information on other services is made available at Last Saturdays.  Voter registration has been offered, as well as non-partisan information on voting procedures such as use of voting machines.  Information is also obtained to identify those that may be eligible for free children’s health insurance providing by the state through special Federal funds.

Outcomes

The Fall 2009 Alive! newsletter featured an article on the Last Saturday Food Distribution Program.  It was noted that LSFD normally serves 1200 to 1600 people per month, with demand fluctuating with the seasons (lower in summer and higher in fall and spring).  However, starting in October 2008, the number of people needing extra help with food at the end of each month began to exceed prior-year levels by 35% or more.  Then on March 28 the program faced an unforeseen and dramatic spike in demand when 2770 people needed food.