Dear John,
I hope you are well and that you and your family are remaining healthy during this uncertain time. The well-being and safety of our clients, donors, volunteers and employees are at the forefront of our thoughts and planning over the last few weeks.
To that end, I want to share news with you regarding our annual Road to Independence Gala. In light of the current circumstances, Northern Virginia Family Service must cancel this year's event, previously scheduled for May 8th.
Of course, we will miss the opportunity to celebrate our shared commitment to helping our neighbors in need. The Gala is our largest source of unrestricted support and helps make it possible for NVFS to serve more than 42,000 of our most vulnerable community members year-round. These same community members and many more will need our support more than ever as we endure the short-term impacts and plan for long-term recovery of this crisis.
Thanks to the generosity of this community, NVFS has helped individuals, families and communities in crisis for nearly 100 years. We are continuing this legacy as we always have, by immediately responding as the health crisis unfolded in our region over the last month. We redeployed staff and adapted existing service delivery to keep our family shelter and Hunger Resource Center open; set up virtual job training and legal services; and arranged to get emergency cash, diapers, food and other goods to families in need.
In support of these efforts, as well as NVFS’ general programs and services that rely upon the funds generated from our annual Gala, please consider making a donation today to enable us to continue proactively responding to community needs— both through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
We know from our experience that the repercussions from today’s COVID-19 crisis will be felt for months, if not years to come. The physical, emotional and economic effects will impact every family, yet this will be compounded especially for our neighbors who were vulnerable before the crisis. Together, we can meet and overcome this challenge for our community.
