Arlington County is sending $350,000 to the county’s largest food pantry in response to possible disruptions in food aid for thousands of residents.
The funding transfer is intended to expand the Arlington Food Assistance Center’s capacity to help the roughly 10,000 local residents who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is expected to go on pause beginning Saturday because of the government shutdown.
Local food security organizations are seeking donations and urging caution as uncertainty continues to hang over food assistance in Virginia during the government shutdown.
While federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is expected to come to a halt on Saturday unless lawmakers strike a deal, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) announced a plan yesterday for a stopgap measure to make sure people can still eat.
A federal food aid program that helps about one-eighth of Americans buy groceries stands to be paused Nov. 1 because of the government shutdown — but Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) says he has found a workaround.
The governor declared a state of emergency today (Thursday), which he said will let him spend emergency funds to provide hunger relief to recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which is set to pause payments at the end of next week.
Record demand has left Arlington’s largest food pantry with an $891,000 hole in its budget this fiscal year — and it may only get worse.
Almost one out of every 10 Arlington residents, 23,190 people, had an active referral to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) in fiscal year 2025.
Federal cuts to Medicaid and food-assistance programs are expected to place greater strain on Arlington’s most vulnerable residents and the social services that support them.
Arlington County officials, health-care workers and nonprofits are still scrambling to determine the local impacts of the new federal spending bill approved last week.
After years of working to expand access to food aid, Arlington County’s food assistance infrastructure is being stretched to its limits as rising living costs drive up demand.
Food insecurity is nothing new to Arlington, and neither are private and public initiatives to combat it. In recent years, the county has hired a food insecurity coordinator and ramped up efforts to connect residents with existing resources.
A new farmers market could be coming to Green Valley next year.
Documents filed with the county last week outline plans to host a market on Friday evenings at John Robinson, Jr. Town Square. A statement of justification filed by CARE, Inc. promises “a convenient, varied market of local food producers and vendors that will provide culturally relevant products, information and services to foster community spirit and improve the nutritional experience.”
A new coalition will tackle how Arlington nonprofits and county government distribute food and support people who are food insecure.
The group held its kick-off meeting at Central Library last week, attended by 65 people. It will be focused on three areas: improving food access, increasing outreach to the community and making systemic change through policy advocacy.
Sally Diaz-Wells, who coordinates the food pantry at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Arlington, just got the weekly egg bill.
It was $2,000, which makes up nearly 20% of the church’s weekly budget of $12,000 for purchasing food for distribution.
AFAC currently serves 2,007 families and 8,028 individuals, a 40 percent jump since July 2013 and a 37 percent increase in the last calendar year, according to Executive Director Charles Meng. Meng projects the nonprofit will exceed its $700,000 food purchase budget this year by $150,000.
Meng claims the increase is a direct result of two policy changes in Congress — the passage of the farm bill, which will cut more than $8 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (commonly known as food stamps) over the next decade, and the end of long-term unemployment benefits. Both resulted in cuts that have affected millions of low-income and unemployed Americans, and both have come within the last eight months, he said.
Old Post Office Property Vote Tonight — This evening the County Board is scheduled to vote on the property at 1720 S. Eads Street in Crystal City, which used to be a post office. The proposal before the board is to re-zone the property and build a nearly 211,000 square foot residential building. County staff members recommend the Board approves the measures.
Food Stamp Use Doubles in Arlington — The number of people receiving food stamps in Arlington doubled over the past decade. That’s lower than the number of people in Fairfax County (triple) and the city of Alexandria (quadruple). The spike isn’t just due to the recession, it’s because more people are now eligible for food assistance. With expanded eligibility it’s estimated that half of the food stamp recipients now live above the federal poverty level. [The Arlington Connection]
