ALIVE! has bought and organized thousands of meals to contend with the COVID-19 pandemic, and for the next two upcoming Saturdays will give away a week’s worth of emergency subsistence food to families and individuals at two drive-by locations.
On the Saturdays of March 28 and April 4, families in their cars will be able to pick up four paper bags of free food at John Adams Elementary School and Cora Kelly School from 8:30 a.m. until noon — or until they run out.
“We’re trying to social distance. That’s about the best we can do,” ALIVE! Executive Director Jennifer Ayers told ALXnow. “This is emergency subsistence food, and meals are made up of a protein, a starch and vegetables. It’s enough for five meals per person for a family of four a week, so about 20 meals of basic food to keep people from feeling malnourished.”
Last week, the City Council approved an allocation of $20,000 to ALIVE! to buy bulk food equivalent to 17,000 meals. The city also found storage space for the nonprofit to house all of the food until it is distributed.
Food pantries around the city are still open, and Ayers encouraged residents to visit Hunger Free Alexandria to see the locations of food distribution points.
ALIVE! is asking for financial donations, not food donations. The organizations also needs 50 volunteers for this Saturday, who can sign up via Volunteer Alexandria.
“We’re worried about the longer-term effects of this pandemic, with people who can’t pay their rent or their bills,” Ayers said. “When paychecks stop coming, we think the economic impact will be much worse, which is why we are asking for financial contributions.”
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Photo via ALIVE!/Facebook
