A new free Friday food distribution at Casa Chirilagua in Arlandria has been set to help the community through most of the summer.

More than 1,000 boxes of fresh food from the Baltimore, Maryland-based Church of the Apostles in the City was given to residents, who lined up through the trails and around the football field at Four Mile Run Park.

“This is the first Friday that we’re doing this mass food distribution and it will continue for the next seven Fridays,” Casa Chirilagua Executive Director Adriana Gómez Schellhaas told ALXnow.

Arlandria has some of the highest numbers of COVID-19, and is home to some of the city’s poorest residents.

Jay Baylor is the pastor at Church of the Apostles, and said that the church will deliver a truckload of food every week.

“When COVID hit, we upped our game and started delivering more food in our neighborhood in East Baltimore,” Baylor said. “Last week we brought 15 pallets down here to Casa Chirilagua and 10 pallets to Old Town Community Church.”

Arlandria resident Sophia Reyes had trouble carrying the 40 pounds of food home. Reyes, who lives with her daughter and granddaughter, said that the family has been dependent on weekly food distributions in the community.

“[My daughter] can’t work and it is very important for us to get this food,” Reyes said.

ALIVE! will also hold its next monthly food distribution on Saturday morning.

The “truck-to-trunk” food distribution will be held at ALIVE! from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the parking lots of Cora Kelly School and John Adams Elementary School. People who walk to the site are asked to observe social distancing.

Staff photos by James Cullum

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Casa Chirilagua and Neighborhood Health‘s efforts to increase the amount of COVID-19 testing in Arlandria have been rewarded by a $10,000 donation from AT&T split between the two nonprofits.

“At AT&T, we want to be there when our communities need us,” said Garrett McGuire, the AT&T regional director of external and legislative affairs, in a statement. “Chirilagua has faced many challenges during this pandemic, so we wanted to do what we could to help.”

Last Saturday, Neighborhood Health provided hundreds of free coronavirus tests outside Casa Chirilagua, and the nonprofit’s executive director said that the $5,000 donation came at a pivotal time.

“With this contribution, we were able to set up and administer testing and consultations at the Casa Chirilagua site,”Dr. Basim Khan said. “With this contribution, we were able to set up and administer testing and consultations at the Casa Chirilagua site. This additional testing is helping us identify and bring into care individuals who otherwise would have gone untested and unconnected to the care they need.”

Arlandria is also known as Chirilagua, after a municipality in El Salvador of the same name. The community, which is in the 22305 ZIP code, is heavily Hispanic and has 463 reported cases and an estimated population of 16,095. Hispanic residents make up 17% of the population and are leading with the highest number of cases in the city, with 783 reported cases, six deaths and 75 hospitalizations.

The actual number of cases in the community is unclear, since many residents live in packed housing and do not have health insurance and access to transportation.

Casa Chirilagua will use its $5,000 contribution to expand its outreach in Arlandria.

“AT&T’s response to the needs in the community brings a message of hope to those who have been terribly impacted by this crisis and ensures families have what they need to withstand this pandemic,” Casa Chirilagua Executive Director Adriana Gómez Schellhaas said. “Together, we can get through this, and we are extremely grateful for AT&T’s support of the community and for leading the way to a better future!”

Staff photo by James Cullum

With a line around the block, Casa Chirilagua and World Central Kitchen gave out 1,500 meals to families in Arlandria on Thursday afternoon.

Volunteer Alexandria Executive Director Marion Brunken told ALXnow that there will be a new community food distribution next Thursday at Charles Houston Recreation Center. The food is being provided by Washington Street United Methodist Church, the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority and Royal Restaurant from 4 to 6 p.m.

Volunteers can sign up for the distribution here.

“If they decide this works and is a good need, they will do it bi-weekly,” Brunken told ALXnow.

In Arlandria, the food was provided by Taco Bamba in D.C., and community volunteers gave it out over the course of an hour. The meals were made of chicken, vegetables and rice. The residents also received bags of groceries from ALIVE!

Next week’s World Central Kitchen food distribution will be at William Ramsay Elementary School after 5 p.m.

Staff photos by James Cullum

The following Letter to the Editor was written by Adriana Gomez Schellhaas, executive director of Casa Chirilagua, a Christian nonprofit in the Chirilagua/Arlandria neighborhood that provides help for local low-income families. 

“When will we go back to normal?”

Like me, I’m sure you’ve asked yourself this question since this crisis started.

What was normal to you, pre-pandemic? For me, normal was spending time with friends and happily not social distancing, going to work without having to wear a mask and being able to work for eight+ hours a day because my toddler twins were spending the day with our lovely babysitter.

Before COVID-19, normal for many of our neighbors in Chirilagua was spending any free time working a second or third job to ensure bills were paid and food was on the table. Normal for many others was an accustomed reality of food insecurity, joblessness, and lack of medical care. The normalcy of the economic disparities that exist in this vibrant community where we, Casa Chirilagua, have spent the last 13 years building long-term relationships with neighbors has caused it to be one of the hardest hit areas of COVID-19 in Northern Virginia.

Since COVID-19, normal has turned upside down for Casa Chirilagua and our neighborhood. The squeals and excitement of our Kids Club students during the afternoons have been replaced by a donation pantry bursting at the seams with vital food and essential items for Casa families, thanks to the outpour of generosity from city residents and folks all the way from Rockville, Maryland.

Our parking lot is not filled with cars of dedicated volunteers coming to spend time to read and tutor students, but has been turned into a COVID-19 testing site thanks to our wonderful partnership with Neighborhood Health.

Our regular fundraising pattern for this time of year isn’t the normal lull we experience after Spring2ACTion but has changed drastically as we continue to see donation after donation from kind individuals, church partners, and organizations like the Del Ray Business Association and Hume Springs Civic Association, all wanting to support the mission of Casa Chirilagua and make sure Casa families have the necessary resources to survive this pandemic.

This is not normal. But what if it was?

What if this outpouring of generosity lasted all year round, year after year, ensuring that our most vulnerable neighbors in Arlandria have what they need? What if vital health screenings were readily available week after week to neighbors who could not afford them or do not have access to a doctor?

What would it look like to truly love our neighbor as ourselves?

This crisis has caused the “normal” negative issues which plague our community to rear their ugly heads even more. However, it has also resulted in generosity, camaraderie and empathy to shine ever so brightly. Business owner Jason Yates sent us a donation of 100 handmade masks. Sheriff Lawhorne and his deputies did not hesitate for one second when I asked for their assistance in directing traffic during our donation hours. City residents like Marcia Call organized her own donation drive, delivering to us the biggest haul of donations we have seen to date.

There are countless others, like Rosa Landeros, the parent liaison at Mount Vernon Community School, who said to me, “Anything this community needs, please call me.”

The ways that many in our city have loved our neighbors in Chirilagua during this crisis is emotionally overwhelming for me in a beautiful way. When this is over, my prayer is that these gestures of love and kindness will not cease but increase, making it the new normal for us and our city.

ALXnow.com occasionally publishes thoughtful letters to the editor about issues of local interest. To submit a letter to the editor for consideration, please email it to [email protected]. Letters may be edited for content and brevity, at our discretion.

Staff photo by James Cullum

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As the Arlandria community struggles with the highest infection rate in Alexandria, Casa Chirilagua is asking for donations to help low-income families.

The city’s Hispanic population is largely located in Arlandria and leads with positive cases at 533 and four reported deaths.

“Our Latino community members are suffering disproportionately with COVID-19,” Casa Chirilagua said in an email. “Casa Chirilagua in Del Ray is a hub of support for the community. Their needs are great, but not anything we can’t address with concerted action.”

Donors are being asked to drop off donated items at 2610 Terrett Avenue and at Casa Chirilagua at 4109 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray by this Thursday at noon.

The Christian nonprofit located in Arlandria works with more than 120 families living below the poverty line, and so far the nonprofit has also paid more than $25,000 in rent and utilities for families impacted by COVID-19. At this time, the 22305 ZIP code, which includes the Arlandria, Potomac Yard and Potomac West neighborhoods, had the largest number of reported cases at 360, with an estimated population of 16,095 residents.

Additionally, last Friday, local groups demanded that Virginia Governor Ralph Northam authorize supplying 10,000 testing kits to the Arlandria area, and provide housing for poor COVID-positive patients living in jam-packed housing. It is not clear how many people have recovered from the virus, and an accurate count on the number of cases is difficult to maintain in Alexandria since the highest infection rates are in the city’s poorest areas.

Casa Chirilagua also conducts a donation drive from 1-4 p.m. on Thursdays and a weekly food distribution every Thursday at 5 p.m.

Here is a list of what they are looking for:

The most commonly needed household items for families in the community are the following:

• Laundry Detergent
• Body Soap
• Dish Soap
• Cleaning Supplies such as Windex and All-Purpose Spray Cleaners
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes
• Dental Floss
• Mouthwash
• Diapers
• Masks
• Toilet Paper
• Paper Towels

The following food items are much needed in the community:

• Uncooked beans (black/pinto)
• Instant coffee
• Oil (canola, olive)
• Uncooked pasta
• Canned tuna/chicken
• Canned beans (black/pinto)
• Canned tomato sauce
• Canned soups
• Cereals
• Baby food
• Granola bars
• Maseca (corn flour)
• Packaged flour tortillas
• Packaged corn tortillas
• Baby formula
• Apple Sauce
• Mayonnaise/Mustard

Staff photo by James Cullum

Alexandria’s poorest areas have been hit hardest by the coronavirus, and local groups are demanding that Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam respond by supplying 10,000 testing kits over the next 10 days and providing housing for COVID-positive patients who currently live in jam-packed residences.

“We urge the governor to come visit Arlandria and see it with his own eyes, leave the governor’s mansion, check it out and then take dramatic action necessary to stop or at least slow down the spread of this disease,” Jon Liss, co-director of New Virginia Majority said in a Friday afternoon tele-press conference with Tenants and Workers United.

The Virginia Department of Health is now providing data on cases by ZIP code, and revealed that Alexandria’s poorest areas have been hit hardest by the virus. The 22305 ZIP code, which includes the Arlandria, Potomac Yard and Potomac West neighborhoods, has the largest number of reported cases at 317 and an estimated population of 16,095 residents.

There is a Neighborhood Health COVID-19 testing site in Arlandria, although many residents have found it difficult signing up to become a patient to take a test.

Arlandria resident Asusena Esquivel is a Neighborhood Health patient and lives in an apartment with four other people. She and another resident she lives with were tested, although two others weren’t tested because they weren’t members of Neighborhood Health.

“All of us in the house will have not been working the last two months with no funding,” Esquivel said. “We are all going to get it regardless. We can’t avoid not getting it because we do not have the money, we do not have the funding, the resources, nor the privilege to live in ample space or go somewhere else if one of us is sick. It shouldn’t be like this.”

There is also the issue of freezing rent, and last week Tenants and Workers United also led a community-wide protest demanding that Virginia implement a rent freeze for workers affected by COVID-19. In April, the Alexandria City Council unanimously approved Councilman Canek Aguirre’s call for a rent freeze, formally calling on state and federal officials to put a potential moratorium on rents and mortgages and to suspend the reporting of negative credit information by credit bureaus.

Evelin Urritria, executive director of Tenants and Workers United, said that the poorest residents often live in overcrowded conditions and health care options are scarce.

“We’re thinking about opening up the state phase by phase. What is this going to mean for a community like Arlandria,” Urritria said. “This is a big issue, because at this point it’s not just you who is sick, it’s everyone in your entire family who is exposed to it and who will get sick, and we’re talking about one-bedroom apartments and two-bedroom apartments.”

Staff photo by James Cullum

Casa Chirilagua gave out 1,000 meals to families in Arlandria on Thursday afternoon, and still needs food, cash and face mask donations for Alexandria’s vulnerable Hispanic population.

Taco Bamba in D.C. and Alexandria Restaurant Partners provided the meals, which were distributed by a cadre of community volunteers over the course of a half hour. The meals were made of chicken, vegetables and rice. The food distribution was organized by World Central Kitchen, which has given out millions of meals across the country during the pandemic. Alexandria Police officers maintained order, and Hunger Free Alexandria and Volunteer Alexandria gave out all the food.

Donations can be made here.

Kate Garvey, the director of the Department of Community and Human Services, said that the food distribution will alternate weekly outside Casa Chirilagua on Mount Vernon Avenue and William Ramsay Elementary School every Thursday after 5 p.m.

“We’ll be doing a weekly, and next week will be at William Ramsey,” Garvey said.

City Councilman Canek Aguirre said that the food drives like this are crucial.

“People have lost their jobs,” Aguirre said. “They don’t have money to pay the rent, they barely have enough money for paying basic necessities like food, and this is a huge hill to climb, especially when you don’t have any money at all. So, being able to keep our families fed here in the city is a paramount importance and we’re going to continue to do what we can to make sure that happens.”

Casa Chirilagua works with more than 120 families living below the poverty line, and so far nonprofit has also paid more than $25,000 in rent and utilities for families impacted by COVID-19.

Last week, Tenants and Workers United led a community-wide protest demanding that Virginia implement a rent freeze for workers affected by COVID-19. The Arlandria neighborhood is one of the poorest in the city, and is located in the 22305 ZIP code, which has the highest COVID-19 infection rate in the city.

Staff photo by James Cullum

Casa Chirilagua gave out more than 1,000 meals to families in Chirilagua on Thursday, and needs food, cash and face mask donations for Alexandria’s vulnerable Hispanic population.

Casa Chirilagua works with more than 120 families living below the poverty line, and so far nonprofit has also paid more than $25,000 in rent and utilities for families impacted by COVID-19.

“These are scary times for a lot of people,” Casa Chirilagua Executive Director Adriana Schellhaas told ALXnow. “Many of our families have lost their jobs, and we don’t know if they will have those jobs back once these restrictions are lifted.”

She added, “We’re seeing more and more positive cases, and we need face mask and glove donations. There’s a lot of DIY [do it yourself] masks people that have made, and that would be awesome if people are interested in donating masks and gloves.”

The food distribution on Thursday was organized by World Central Kitchen, which has given out more than 5 million meals across the country during the pandemic. Alexandria Police officers maintained order, and Hunger Free Alexandria volunteers helped to make the distributions happen in about 40 minutes, Schellhaas said.

City Councilman Canek Aguirre said that the city’s Latino community is deeply concerned about the pandemic, and hopes landlords take it easy on their tenants. Last week, City Council passed a measure asking state and federal officials for a rent and mortgage freeze.

“There’s a lot of anxiety, and a lot of fear when it comes to having to pay rent that goes even beyond the fear of getting sick,” Aguirre said. “It’s difficult because the Latino community is facing multiple risks. We’re talking about a community that is likely working on the front lines, they’re having to take public transportation and they lack access to health care.”

On Friday, Tenants and Workers United also gave out gift cards to Alexandria families in Chirilagua.

“Everybody’s got to realize that we’re in the same boat, that we’re in this together and that there’s a domino effect,” Aguirre said. “The renters can’t pay the landlords, the landlords can’t pay their mortgages. It’s all interconnected.”

Photo via Christ Church/Facebook