Amazon Rolls Up Sleeves and Mobilizes Delivery Vans to Support Schools

Amazon volunteers joined Food For Neighbors in the fight against teen food insecurity on Saturday, September 9. Working side-by-side with other enthusiastic community members at Arlington Career Center, Herndon Middle School, and Whitman Middle School, Amazon helped sort and deliver nearly 8,000 pounds of food and toiletries donated by more than 570 households for local secondary schools. In total, eight hundred volunteers, across nine active sorting sites, helped process 23,000 pounds of donations Food For Neighbors collected Saturday morning from 1,700 Northern Virginia households. The effort will help over 5,800 students in 42 secondary schools in Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun counties. Amazon’s hands-on support underscores a $155,000 donation from Amazon Fresh last Fall, and the volunteer spirit demonstrates the company’s continued dedication to lifting up the communities where its employees work and live.

Amazon participated in Food For Neighbors’ Red Bag Program kickoff event during its Global Month of Volunteering, an initiative where Amazon employees in the DMV and across the world come together to volunteer and engage even further with their communities for causes they’re passionate about.

“We’re committed to supporting the immediate needs of students and their families – these often include providing food, shelter, clothing, and more. Thanks to community partnerships like this, we’re able to provide students the support they need to keep learning,” said Melissa Robinson, principal program manager of Volunteering at Amazon. “We were grateful to partner with Food For Neighbors during Amazon’s Global Month of Volunteering, a time when tens of thousands of Amazon employees around the world will go out in their communities and do good together.”

“We’re thrilled to celebrate Amazon as a Food For Neighbors Community Champion and sponsor of our first Red Bag food and toiletry collection event of the new school year,” shared Karen Joseph, Founder and Executive Director of Food For Neighbors. “Amazon’s philanthropic partnership and $155,000 donation through Amazon Fresh helped us quickly expand our services into Arlington Public Schools last school year, where we helped approximately 970 hungry students, many of whom received support weekly.”

The Red Bag Events are the heart of Food For Neighbors. They mobilize individuals to shop for nonperishable food and essential toiletries, which they place in a red bag and leave on their doorsteps for collection. Volunteers, organized by neighborhoods, pick up the donations and bring them to one of nine central locations, where volunteers sort and then deliver them to school pantries. School social workers, counselors, and/or family liaisons identify students in need and distribute food and/or toiletries to them. Complementing programs provide food pantry shelving and storage for schools as well as grocery store gift cards for the most vulnerable students.

Although Food For Neighbors has registered an amazing 2,600+ Red Bag food and toiletry donors and 2,500+ volunteers, the nonprofit welcomes additional Red Bag donors and volunteers as it continues to meet the need in its currently partnering schools and to say “yes” to new schools requesting support. New in September is Leesburg’s Belmont Ridge Middle School, which brings the total number of partnering schools to 42. Also key are the financial donations from individuals, foundations, businesses, and other organizations, which help keep the Red Bag and Grocery Gift Card programs running.

“I hope all of our generous donors and volunteers know that they’re truly making a difference,” emphasized Joseph. “With their help, we’re now reaching over 50 times as many children as we did when we began in 2016. The school staff with whom we work believe the reliable, supplemental food has had numerous positive impacts. Students are attending school more regularly, focusing better on their schoolwork, and improving their grades. These are immense gifts.”

Hunger is closer than you think. To learn more about becoming involved as a Red Bag donor, volunteer, monthly Hunger Hero, or community partner, visit https://www.foodforneighbors.o... or send an email to [email protected].