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ALIVE! launching reusable bag drive to reduce waste at free food distributions

By James Cullum

Alexandria nonprofit ALIVE! is launching a reusable bag drive later this month to help residents get free food and reduce waste.

ALIVE has given away millions of pounds of food to city residents since the pandemic started, and the reusable bags are also intended to bring awareness to the city’s new 5 cent plastic bag tax. The bag tax went into effect on Jan. 1.

“These bags and their contents will then be sorted and redistributed to the food insecure in Alexandria at our on-site distributions and eventually, our food center,” ALIVE! said in a release. “When clients return to the next ALIVE! event, they bring back the bag for another, creating a closed loop and hopefully reducing the waste that comes with plastic or paper bags.”

Donors should drop off the bags at the ALIVE! food warehouse at 801 South Payne Street between Friday, Jan. 14 and Monday, Jan. 17.

The next ALIVE! food distribution will be conducted at three sites on Saturday, Jan. 29. The event will be from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Cora Kelly Elementary School (3600 Commonwealth Avenue), Northern Virginia Community College (500 Dawes Avenue), and William Ramsay Recreation Center (5650 Sanger Avenue).

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.