Assistance League Programs Help Children With Basic Needs

February in Northern Virginia has been cold and snowy, but the volunteers with Assistance League of Northern Virginia (ALNV) have been busy providing area students with food, clothing and books, helping to warm hearts and brighten days.

On Friday, February 13th, the children at one of our local Title 1 elementary schools were celebrating Valentine’s Day, the 100th day of school, and an ALNV “Build a Child’s Library” event. Each of the 856 students came to the gymnasium where they chose a new book from the assortment of books provided by ALNV. Along with the teachers, volunteers helped each student choose a book and sign their name inside the cover - making it their very own! The smiles on the children’s faces were proof of a successful event.

The following week, on February 19, ALNV had its monthly “Weekend Food For Kids” (WFFK) packing event at Dominion Energy. ALNV provides 1900 bags of non-perishable food each month to children receiving free or reduced meals at six Title 1 elementary schools in Northern Virginia. The schools distribute the bags to the children on Fridays so they can be taken home to help alleviate food insecurity over the weekend. The support of Dominion Energy, which partners with ALNV for this amazing program, is monumental. Dominion provides the space for the packing event, volunteers to help pack and load the food onto the Dominion trucks and the drivers to deliver the bags to the six Title 1 elementary schools in Fairfax and Prince William counties. The weekend food helps ensure that students arrive at school ready to learn and thrive.

Through grants, fundraisers and donations, ALNV raises every dollar needed to purchase the food, clothing and books for supporting local children in need. Check out its website at alnv.org to find out how you can get involved. It takes a village.