Church Donates Truckloads Of Food To Families During Coronavirus

CHANTILLY, VA — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Tuesday delivered more than 10,500 pounds of food, including beef stew, applesauce, spaghetti and green beans, to the Western Fairfax Christian Ministries in Chantilly. WFCM is currently serving food to more than 600 families as a result of the coronavirus crisis, up from 400 families they normally serve each month.

Donations to WFCM from local businesses, including grocery stores, have decreased as their supply chains have been disrupted by the coronavirus crisis, Harmonie Taddeo, executive director of WFCM, said in a statement.

WFCM has made changes to its food assistance program in response to guidance provided by the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Fairfax County Department of Health. Food is now provided pre-bagged.

The organization is not accepting individual household donations and is encouraging members of the public who want to provide food or toiletries for its clients to consider making monetary donations online or ordering and shipping food items to its office using its Amazon wish list as a guide.

Earlier Tuesday, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints delivered 40,000 pounds of food to Food For Others in Fairfax. Food For Others then distributed food to local food banks, including the 10,500 pounds of food to WFCM.

"We are pleased that we could share during this severe crisis. And, we're very grateful for the extraordinary service provided to our area by the Western Fairfax Christian Ministries," said Robert Walter, president of the Centreville Stake. The Centreville Virginia Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints covers nine congregations, primarily in Centreville, Manassas and Fairfax.

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints used tithing from church members to purchase the food that was donated. Church members fast for two meals a month and give the money to the church to support people across the country who are in need.

Multiple trucks loaded with more than 320,000 pounds of food have been arriving at food banks in the mid-Atlantic area, including Northern Virginia, from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the past month to help relieve the economic impact caused by the coronavirus crisis. The deliveries had a value of about $360,000.

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The church is planning to make several more food donations in the coming months in Northern Virginia. The St. Lucy Project in Manassas, for example, is scheduled to receive a delivery next week and then a second delivery next month.

Along with food donations, WFCM is currently in need of 1,800 masks to give to families as they receive groceries from the food bank. Hand-sewn masks are welcome in batches of 100 or more. Masks can be dropped off at WFCM located at 4511 Daly Drive, Suite J, in Chantilly.

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