My Market Offers Food Insecure Chance To Shop With Dignity In Grocery Store Setting

FAIRFAX, VA — Elected officials and local community activists converged on Merrifield on Thursday morning to help Food for Others cut the ribbon on its expanded warehouse and food distribution center.

The regional food bank's new facility includes 10,391 square feet of warehouse and office space, and the new "My Market," where Northern Virginians eligible for emergency food assistance can shop in a grocery store setting.

"It was really important to allow our families the opportunity to shop for their own food," said Annie Turner, executive director of Food for Others. "It's more dignified, it's more respectful, and it reduces food waste in the community."

Although Thursday was My Market's official grand opening, the location has been serving Food for Others' clients since Jan. 26.

"In the first two weeks, our customer satisfaction has increased on average 13 percent because of the new space," Turner said, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. "In those two weeks, we served over 82,000 pounds of food and about 8,400 individuals already. We look forward to really expanding the empowerment model for our clients, and we look forward to so much more for clients."

Allowing the clients to choose what food they wish to take, cuts down on the amount of unused items that are discarded from pre-packed food parcels.

Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik grew up just down the street from Food for Other's headquarters on Prosperity Avenue. She remembered what it like living on free meals and going to the supermarket with her mother when it was hard to buy meat. Her family had to make hard choices about what they'd be able to have at home.

"Ensuring that families feel welcome, that they have a space for their kids, that they have those wraparound services and that they have the dignity even if they're not able to pay for the food themselves, that they're able to have the experience that everyone in the community has," Palchik said. "This is an incredible accomplishment."

In Fiscal Year 2022, Food for Others distributed 3.7 million pounds of food to 49,893 households across Northern Virginia.

On Thursday morning, market coordinator Patrick Salas was giving visitors a peek behind the scenes, showing off the expanded warehouse space.

"This feels a little bit bigger because it's more open," he said. "It'll give us a better opportunity for organization and just a little more fluid space to where we can move and really get trucks in here and pack."

Three years ago, Silas started out as a warehouse helper and then began driving trucks to pick up donations from the nonprofit's grocery store partners. He's been the market coordinator for about a month and will be overseeing the facility.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America since 2020 to help raise awareness of hunger in our local communities, a persistent national problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that 1 in 8 people face hunger. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.