Community Members Tackle Teen Hunger

On Saturday, March 9th, 334 Sterling and Ashburn households donated over 4,500 pounds of food and toiletries to help students attending 11 Loudoun County middle and high schools. The generous donors were part of over 2,000 contributing community members–a record Food For Neighbors collection that yielded over 26,500 pounds of donations for hungry students attending 47 partnering schools in Loudoun, Fairfax, and Arlington counties. Participating Loudoun County Public Schools in the Ashburn vicinity include Belmont Ridge MS, Riverside HS, Stone Bridge HS, and Stone HIll MS. Those in the Sterling vicinity include Dominion HS, Park View HS, Potomac Falls HS, River Bend MS, Seneca Ridge MS, Sterling MS, and William O. Robey HS.

“Food For Neighbors is thrilled to reach this major milestone,” noted Karen Joseph, Founder and Executive Director of Food For Neighbors. “We greatly appreciate the generosity of our Red Bag donors as well as our hands-on volunteers who collect, sort, and deliver the donations.”

Liz Campbell, the Sterling Area Manager for Food For Neighbors, shared, “I look forward to all our Red Bag events! We see first-hand the generosity and impact our community has on our local teens. We had a new group join us this month that were so impressed with the way we operate that they are all signing up to be Red Bag donors and will come back to help us sort again. The amount of food we collected this month will really help our schools provide extra support as we head into Spring Break."

Food For Neighbors’ many community volunteers continue to do all they can to help students in need. According to a recent report from the Virginia Department of Education’s Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs, as of October 31, 2023, 25.99% of students attending Loudoun County Public Schools are eligible for free and reduced price school meals. Many Loudoun schools partnering with Food For Neighbors have much higher eligibility rates, reaching as high as approximately 91%.

Joseph explained, “For many students, the free and reduced price school meals are their major source of nutrition. During evenings, weekends, and school holidays, they may not be receiving enough food to live active, healthy lives. Food For Neighbors is trying to fill this food gap so students can grow and learn.”

Food For Neighbors maintains ongoing communication with its many school partners, and has received feedback that the food is impacting students positively in many ways. School staff report that the majority of students served seem to be in a better mood and appear more alert and energetic. The majority also attend school more regularly and focus better on their studies, with many improving their grades. The connection over food is helping students develop or grow relationships with school staff, who can then identify any additional resources the students may need. These significant outcomes give students a better chance to reach their full potential. This lifts up the students, their families, and the community as a whole.

More food and toiletries are needed for partnering Loudoun County schools. Food For Neighbors invites you to make a difference by registering as a Red Bag donor. Food For Neighbors will leave a “red bag” with the grocery list and collection dates on your doorstep, send a kind reminder when it’s time to shop, and pick up your donations from your home. It’s that easy! To sign up, visit the Red Bag Program page. Together, we make a difference!