County Employees Donate 4,000 Pounds of Food to Loudoun Interfaith

More than 4,000 pounds of food was donated to  food pantry on Friday, May 11 in response to Supervisor Scott York's recent challenge to "pack his office" full of food in support of Hunger Awareness Month. 

Loudoun County employees packed his office with a little more than 3,300 pounds of food. Some employees took their donations directly to Loudoun Interfaith Relief, which raised the staff’s contribution.

Last Friday, several employees of the Department of General Services helped to deliver the food to Loudoun Interfaith Relief.

"That was amazing I've got to say. I didn't expect so much to come in," said Director of Operations David Dwyer. "This time of year we start our summer pack program so in adition to the regular food that we give out to our families we increase it for families with school aged children by 30 percent to help make up for the missed school lunches and breakfast programs that end." 

Donations at this time of year are very low, Dwyer said, because civic groups and schools aren't raising as much. The recent donation will help Loudoun Interfaith go into the summer without having empty shelves, he said. 

"The community continues to always support us," Dwyer said. Over the weekend the 'Feed Your Neighbor, Love Your Neighbor' campaign raised 26,000 pounds of food. The Stamp Out Hunger campaign also brought in thousands of donations. 

"That was an amazing county-wide food drive as well," Dwyer added. "So hopefully all the pantries will be ready for summer."

The Board of Supervisors has declared May as Hunger Awareness Month. The proclamation drew attention to the fact that while area food pantries receive generous donations over the holidays and winter months, the donations significantly decrease during the summer months. To learn more or to make a donation, visit Loudoun Interfaith online.