Catholic Charities donates 5,000 lbs of food to help address hunger in Alexandria

Photo courtesy of Catholic Diocese of Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA – On October 16, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington’s St. Lucy Food Project donated 5,000 pounds of non-perishable food to ALIVE! in front of Alexandria’s City Hall. The St. Lucy Food Project and ALIVE! are both members of Hunger Free Alexandria (HFA), a community-based coalition of food providers, faith-based communities, schools, and social service organizations aimed at ending hunger. The donation, made in conjunction with HFA, is part of Catholic Charities’ ongoing efforts to address hunger in Alexandria.

“There is a great deal of need in our communities. Often individuals can find themselves in situations where they no longer know where their next meal will come from,” said Art Bennett, President of CEO, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington. “We make every effort to help people get back on their feet, through food and clothing donations, workforce training and similar service ministries. These services are at the core of our mission and commitment to the community.”

Catholic Charities collects and distributes 1.2 million pounds of food annually to those in need throughout the 21 counties of the Diocese through its St. Lucy Food Project. Some 130,000 pounds of food are distributed locally from its Christ House ministry in Old Town Alexandria. Christ House also offers emergency assistance, a clothing ministry, thrift store and transitional housing and workforce development to homeless men. Catholic Charities has served an evening meal to homeless men and women at Christ House 365 days a year for more than 40 years. ALIVE! has been delivering food to the homebound within the city of Alexandria since 1969.

“Donating this amount of food in one delivery is just an incredible experience,” said Vincent A. Cannava (pictured), Program Director and Food Source Developer, St. Lucy Food Project, Catholic Charities.  “What you see is the result of countless parishes across the diocese offering food to those in need. There are a lot of people who will not go to bed hungry as a result of their generosity.”

For additional information on the St. Lucy Project, click here.