Patch Holiday Food Drive In Falls Church: Give To Feeding America

Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, predicted this would happen as millions of Americans lost their jobs, their paychecks and even their businesses because of the coronavirus pandemic: Hunger is an urgent problem for an estimated 6.6 percent people in Falls Church City.

You can help. Patch and Feeding America teamed last summer to address the growing hunger crisis in America, connecting readers with the organization’s 200 member food banks that serve 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, and providing an easy way to donate money to help their neighbors.

Now through Dec. 31, we’re encouraging readers to make a tax-deductible contribution to Feeding America in the Patch Holiday Food Drive. Every $1 given to the organization buys 10 meals.

Local resources include:

• Food For Others, Inc., various locations
• St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 3305 Glen Carlyn Road, Falls Church, VA
• Culmore United Methodist Church, 5901 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA
• La Iglesia Episcopal de Santa Maria, 7000 Arlington Boulevard, Falls Church, VA
• St. Philip Catholic Church, 7500 Saint Phillips Court, Falls Church, VA
• Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center, 3159 Row Street, Falls Church, VA
• Spend Yourself Food Pantry by Columbia Baptist Church, 3245 Glen Carlyn Road, Falls Church, VA
• Columbia Baptist Church, 3245 Glen Carlyn Road, Falls Church, VA

Feeding America predicted last summer that 50 million people, including 17 million children, could face hunger by year's end because of the pandemic. Feeding America projects the food insecurity rate in Falls Church will rise to 6.6 percent in 2020, up from 4.5 percent in 2018. Neighboring Fairfax County's estimated rate in 2020 is 8.4 percent, compared to 5.4 percent in 2018.

From the beginning of the pandemic in March, Feeding America distributed 4.2 million meals — enough to provide every U.S. resident with breakfast, lunch and dinner for just over four days.

In the first four months of the pandemic, 4 in 10 people were first-time visitors to food banks, according to Feeding America.

How To Support The Patch Holiday Food Drive

Patch has teamed with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 50 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.