NVFS and AWS Team Up to End Hunger

Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) teamed up to bring food and community resources to the Elevations One Apartment complex and surrounding communities in Woodbridge, VA. The community pop-up brought a festival-like atmosphere while it helped bridge the food insecurity gap for residents through the distribution of fresh fruits, vegetables, dry goods, and meats. Kids and their families were entertained with a DJ, face painting, picture book giveaways, Lego play tables, and a giant-sized Connect Four game. 

The event also connected guests to valuable NVFS resources, including workforce development services, healthcare and prescription access, utility assistance, and maternal infant health resources. Special thanks to our AWS volunteers; the State Burners Motorcycle Club (Chantilly Chapter) for grilling and serving food; and Shake Shack for donating ice cream to the delight of all.

Join us in ending hunger during September's Hunger Action month and this season. Learn more about our Fall Food Drive.

Donate to NVFS During the Fall Food Drive

The NVFS Fall Food Drive will help us to stock the shelves at our Hunger Resource Center (HRC) and meet the 26 percent increase in demand for food that the HRC has experienced since emergency SNAP benefits ended last spring. Nearly 400 households per month rely on regular support from the HRC, which results in a distribution of more than 46,000 pounds of food per month. Additionally, we designed the Fall Food Drive around the food preferences of the diverse households we serve and to prepare the HRC in advance of all the holidays. 

Support the Fall Food Drive:

Donate food – Our greatest need is in-kind food donations. Suggested items are listed in the Fall Food Drive flyer and NVFS website. You have the freedom to format your food collection drive however you’d like, and we’d be able to accept those donations in-person on at the two donation drop-off days noted below. 

Drop Off Location & Dates:

• Bethel Evangelical Church, 8712 Plantation Lane, Manassas, VA 20110
• Tuesday, October 24, 2023, 10am-5pm
• Wednesday, October 25, 2023, 10am-5pm

Financial donation – options for donating funds include:

Donate online, by check, create your own team fundraising page, or grocery store gift cards (NVFS recommends Giant Food gift cards, but all grocery gift cards are welcome).

Volunteer – If you are interested in volunteering for the NVFS Fall Food Drive, please contact Navara Cannon at [email protected]. Volunteer opportunities are available for dates between October 20, 2023 – November 3, 2023.

The NVFS Back2School Drive Thanks YOU!

Thank you for supporting the 2023 NVFS Back2School Drive. With your help, we  provided more than 1,400 students in our community with backpacks stuffed with supplies. There was a significant increase in need over last year and we were able to meet that need thanks to you, our dedicated sponsors, donors, and volunteers. A big thank you to you all, especially our sponsors Ennis Electric, Evans Consulting, Peterson Companies, and Anthem Healthkeepers Plus.

We hope you get a smile as big as we did at some of these Back2School Drive's inspirational moments:

- A five-year-old girl picked out a princess backpack with her mom to donate so another little girl could have a fun backpack for her first day at school too.

- A company did an in-office beach-themed volunteer day during which they packed 1,000 pencil pouches and snack packs!

- A mom dropped off 90 backpacks that her family purchases throughout the year and saves for the Back2School drive. They started this way of giving back when their daughter was young and now she’s in graduate school!

- A team of moms and their sons volunteered helped us load the NVFS van with all the supplies ordered by you so we could transport them to the drive site. Not only did we fill the van, but we stuffed two staff members’ cars full of supplies too!

We can’t do this alone and appreciate all your support  in helping to provide families with school supplies for their children, and the supplies our youngest learners need to succeed.

5 Tips to Help Girls Recognize Healthy Relationships

1. Model Healthy Relationships: Relationships you have will inform the relationships our girls build with others. The core skills to model is how to prioritize time for the people you care about, regulating emotions positively while avoiding impulsiveness, and practicing effective communication skills when conflicts arise.

2. Open and Non-Judgemental Communication: Your girls, particularly adolescents, are more likely to talk and share their decisions, and inevitable mistakes, if they can do so without judgement. As their "guide" react from a place of empathy while being rational, and reflective.

3. Guide Rather than Direct: Use open ended "guiding" questions to help teach girls to evaluate whether a relationship is worth maintaining such as: "What do you like about this person?"; "How do you see this friendship helping you to grow as a person?"; or "Do you feel like both of you are freely giving your consent?"

4. Set Boundaries: It's vital to recognize and respond to signs of negative relationships and set boundaries. If you observe that they are having difficulty setting boundaries you can help by creating boundaries around how they communicate or when they can interact as well as beind direct when behavior is observed that you feel is abusive.

5. Seek Support: You are not alone. Consult with professionals at school, mental health services, or the wide array of organizations focused on helping girls recognize healthy relationships. To learn more about some of the organizations offering support and education as well as more in depth info on these five tips check our our blog at nvfs.org/5-tips-healthy-relationship

SERVE Shelter Summer Camp Wraps Up

The children at the NVFS SERVE Family Emergency Homeless Shelter enjoyed an eight-week summer camp that kicked off in June and wrapped up in August. Campers participated in arts and crafts, STEM activities, and outdoor games. Special guests also stopped by! The children loved the Caring Angels Therapy Dogs who visited the shelter. The Manassas City Library led story time and crafts related to the books. The Children’s Science Center engaged the children in a Build a Bot and Pollination Station STEM activity. Building on the lessons about pollination, the children visited the GMU campus and their greenhouse to learn about sustainable food production, and enjoyed a pizza lunch on campus.  

A special thanks to GMU Engaged Summer Intern, Elena Ward, who planned the daily activities for all eight weeks, a positive behavior motivation system, and led camp each day. Thank you also to all the incredible volunteers – Madison Kidd, Joy Bradford, Michelle Murillo, Elder Boxer, Maya Landeros, and Wynter Beasley – who helped facilitate the fun and exciting camp activities. The efforts of all who supported camp made this an unforgettable summer for the children.

Healthy Families Celebrates with Summer Picnics and Graduations

Healthy Families Prince William, Arlington, Alexandria and Reston all held special events throughout this month to experience community and celebrate the young children and families who graduated from the program. Infants, young children, and their families enjoyed story time, played with bubbles and parachutes, and participated in nature scavenger hunts before sharing dinner together.

Thank you to the many volunteers and generous donations from Tacombi Community Kitchen for providing dinners for the Arlington and Alexandria picnic, and Elevation Church for donating fun supplies. A special thank you to Mayor Justin Williams, Delegate Charniele Herring, Alexandria City Councilman Canek Aguirre, and Alexandria City Councilwoman Alyia Gaskins for celebrating with us at the Healthy Families Alexandria picnic.

Volunteer Spotlight: Lynda, Emily & Olivia Boggs

NVFS Board Member Lynda Boggs and her daughters, Emily and Olivia, have long been supporters of NVFS. "Serving on the board is a privilege and when I have the opportunity to volunteer, I feel more connected to the mission of NVFS," Lynda explained.

Lynda involves her daughters to bring them a greater sense of the needs across Northern Virginia "our community." Together they have wrapped gifts, made blankets, and packed backpacks for our Back2School drive.

"One of the most special parts [of volunteering at the Back2School Drive] is that most of the backpacks are tagged with a first name and grade so as you make the bag you can picture a very specific person you are helping and with that also bringing to them your hopes and dreams for their future," Lynda said.

Thank you Lynda, Emily and Olivia!

We welcome all our community members to join us and get involved in helping our neighbors during their journey to wellbeing.