The church is closed, but its food pantry is open. Facebook post swells volunteer numbers.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Fri Apr 17, 2020, 11:33 AM - Edit history (1)

Hat tip, a commenter at ARLnow.com

Gavrilo2014 • 2 hours ago
Nice photo. And here's another positive story: the Post covered the efforts by parishioners at Our Lady Queen of Peace to help feed hungry people:

https://www.washingtonpost....

Local

The church is closed, but its food pantry is open. A viral Facebook post swells volunteer numbers at a parish in Arlington.


Volunteers pack 608 bags with rice, canned fruit, beans, pasta and pasta sauce, among other items, for the food pantry at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Arlington, Va. (Michaela Sims/Handout photo)

By Emily Davies
April 16, 2020 at 12:32 p.m. EDT

Before the coronavirus crisis shut down baseball stadiums across the country, Daniel Tillson would have typically slipped on his Washington Nationals jersey around this time of year to watch his favorite team play. But on Wednesday, he exchanged cold beers for medical masks and the seventh-inning stretch for three-minute prayers as he began his shift at the food pantry at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church.

“I can’t believe it’s only 9 o’clock,” Tillson said while hauling another bag of groceries to a chair outside the church in Northern Virginia. The food pantry had been open for under an hour that morning, and he had already served more than 100 people.

When the coronavirus pandemic first struck, it was not clear whether the small church in South Arlington would have enough resources to nourish its regular pantry shoppers in addition to the hundreds of new ones who would show up. But as the world around it falls into disarray, the parish and its long-standing pantry have become a center of hope and purpose for the community. In the past two weeks, the number of prospective volunteers has more than tripled, with upward of 40 people willing to help. Food donations have poured in.

“This is the first time I have seen this need right here in Arlington,” said Tillson, a 28-year-old Senate staffer.


People wait in line for bags of groceries at the food pantry at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Arlington, Va. (Emily Davies/The Washington Post)

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The letter and the rally around the parish inspired a few local schools, which started challenges to see who could donate more to the pantry. They also inspired volunteers such as Jenni Hogan, a 34-year-old gymnastics teacher in Arlington.

“The letter spoke to me,” said Hogan, who signed up to shop for groceries when she saw Hickey’s letter on a local news site. On Tuesday, she dropped off $500 in groceries, for which the pantry will reimburse her, including cereal, pasta sauce and canned fruit.

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“I am not particularly religious, but I support organizations that help people,” she said through a pink cloth mask outside some bins of food. “To me, what church is all about is community and making sure that everyone is looked after. I love that Arlington and South Arlington in particular really take that to heart.”

Emily Davies
Emily Davies was a reporter on the National desk at The Washington Post. She left The Post in 2019. Follow https://twitter.com/ELaserDavies

[utopian]

1. Nice Social Distancing

At my food pantry in Portland, we went with an all-delivery model, mostly due to the behavior of a few clients. It was beginning to feel a little terrifying for my staff, but now they're inside packing boxes for volunteer drivers to deliver, which is working great so far.