Loudoun Interfaith Relief Collects Food for Thanksgiving



Despite the sluggish economy, many residents of Loudoun County still have much to be thankful for this year.

However, at a time when many people give thanks for plenty, some people are worried about putting food on their table at all.

Loudoun Interfaith Relief will distribute nearly 40,000 pounds of food to needy families beginning Friday morning, hoping to share some of the community's Thanksgiving bounty with those less fortunate.

"Of course the public this time of year is very generous," said David Dwyer, director of operations for Loudoun Interfaith Relief.

Volunteers worked from Saturday through Wednesday bagging the food, placing roughly 16 pounds each into 2,150 bags, Dwyer said. He said they had worked to sort and package food from Boy Scout's recent food drive, and Make a Difference Day, which was held in October. The Town of Leesburg's Halloween Parade also netted food for the organization, and Thanksgiving-appropriate foods collected during that event were channeled into the more-than 2,000 bags.

Giant Food, Cardinal Bank, Dominion Virginia Power and Sandy Spring Bank, donated the canvass bags themselves, which will be distributed to families beginning on Friday, according to Bonnie Inman, executive director of Loudoun Interfaith Relief. She said 25 – 30 volunteers had helped each day.

Pam Ritmiller, volunteer coordinator, said these volunteers were mainly those who regularly help out with Loudoun Interfaith's food pantry, although more were needed. "About two weeks ago we put out the word that we were going to need extra help," she said.

Inman and Ritmiller said they were happy to see the pantry's regular food stores returning to a more healthy level after a "very bleak" last several months. Inman said in the summer months, with schools out, food drives are less frequent, but the need is intensified. Children who can count on free and reduced lunch don't get it. To address this problem, Loudoun Interfaith Relief created a program that provided 5,000 children three days of extra breakfast and lunch.

Ritmiller said the organization is fortunate because potential donors can understand the problem of hunger. "It's a basic need," she said. "When people think about giving, hopefully we are an obvious choice."

Though a good amount of food has been collected, still more is needed.

Residents can bring Thanksgiving meal items such as boxed mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing, cranberry sauce, soup, vegetables, complete boxed desserts, and $10 grocery gift cards for perishable items to Interfaith Relief's 750 Miller Road facility, Suite A-1 in Leesburg.

Inman said the gift cards will allow families to go to the grocery store and select their own turkeys. Even in some of the bags, she said cranberry sauce and other  holiday favorites  are missing because not enough was donated. "We've tried to supplement with other types of food." She said the organization is still hoping to get the gift cards before Friday. "We just felt like it would make it kind of special for someone to buy the meat that they wanted," Inman said.

However, Dwyer said all of the 2,150 bags that had been packed by Wednesday afternoon had stuffing in them. "Everybody is going to get stuffing," he said.

To learn how you can help, call Interfaith Relief at 703-777-5911 or visit the website,  www.interfaithrelief.org.

More information about the December Holiday Program is online at www.loudoun.gov/holidaycoalition.  Donations for the December program will be accepted beginning Saturday, Dec. 4.