Nearly 30,000 Pounds Of Food Collected For Northern Virginia Students

RESTON, VA — More than 850 volunteers across Northern Virginia collected and sorted nearly 30,000 pounds of food Saturday to help stock food pantries serving middle and high school students, according to Reston-area nonprofit Food For Neighbors.

The Sept. 12 collection was the organization's first Red Bag collection of the new school year and came during Hunger Action Month. Donations will be distributed to 60 public middle and high schools in Fairfax, Loudoun and Arlington counties and the City of Falls Church.

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Food For Neighbors, which was founded in Herndon in 2016 and is beginning its 10th year of service, said its programs now help provide more than 12,000 students with access to food through school pantries.

Red Bags Help Stock School Food Pantries

"Saturday showed exactly what can happen when each of us plays a small part," Food For Neighbors founder and Executive Director Karen Joseph said. "One family fills one Red Bag. One volunteer drives a route. Another sorts a box of food. But when hundreds of neighbors come together, those individual acts add up to thousands of pounds of food—and thousands of students knowing their community cares about them."

RELATED: $20K Grant To Help Food For Neighbors Relieve Hunger At NoVA Schools

Food For Neighbors operates its Red Bag Program throughout the school year. Participating households receive a reusable bag and grocery list and fill the bag with requested food and toiletries before scheduled collection dates.

Volunteers pick up the bags from participating homes, and other volunteers sort the donations before they are delivered to schools.

Among those helping Saturday were mothers and sons from several Young Men's Service League chapters. Twenty volunteers from the Great Falls chapter worked at Herndon Middle School, while another 15 volunteers participated from the organization's Maple Avenue Chapter.

"Addressing food insecurity is one of the Young Men's Service League's core philanthropic pillars, and Food For Neighbors gives our members a tangible way to put that commitment into action," Lisa Woestman, the chapter's vice president of philanthropy, said.

Other volunteers included employees of Lumen Technologies, who participated in a food drive and sorting event.

Organization Begins 10th Year

Food For Neighbors began in Herndon a decade ago and has since expanded into a regional network supporting school food pantries throughout Northern Virginia.

The organization said the need remains significant in Fairfax County. More than one-third of Fairfax County students qualify for free or reduced-price school meals, according to Food For Neighbors.

RELATED: VA Food Bank Expects 50% Less Food To Distribute Due To Trump Funding Cuts

"It is truly a team effort to keep a community fed," Courtney Erland, area manager for Food For Neighbors' original Herndon location, said. "The need has not only grown, but different schools and organizations have reached out for assistance."

Food For Neighbors is seeking additional households to participate in its Red Bag Program during the 2026-27 school year. Donors fill bags with requested items and leave them outside their homes on five scheduled collection days during the school year.

"As we begin our 10th year, we want even more Northern Virginia families to join us," Joseph said. "Becoming a Red Bag donor is one simple, tangible way to help make sure a student in your own community has food when they need it."

More information about the Red Bag Program and other volunteer opportunities is available through Food For Neighbors' website.