AFAC Restructures Food Distribution Schedule and Off Site Locations

July 20, 2021

AFAC will resume evening distributions, starting on Thursday, September 9. This will help alleviate the number of clients visiting on Saturday mornings. Starting on September 7 (AFAC will be closed on Monday, September 6 for Labor Day), AFAC’s new food distribution hours at Nelson Street will be:

  • 9:30 AM – 1:00 PM Monday through Friday
  • 6:00 – 7:00 PM Thursday evening
  • 9:00 -11:00 AM Saturday

We will monitor the flow of client visits and will evaluate if we need to resume food distributions on Tuesday evenings as well.

Home Deliveries Program Continues

AFAC began a Home Deliveries program in March 2020, as an option for any Arlington resident in quarantine for COVID-19, or homebound due to a severe medical condition or disability. At the height of the pandemic, this allowed us to reach isolated clients who had limited or no access to food. When the prevalence of COVID-19 cases dropped, AFAC has continued the Home Delivery program to help serve clients who have trouble accessing our facilities and do not have a support system.

To register for this program, clients must call our Client Services Coordinator to request delivery. As of July 2021, we are serving 93 families with groceries delivered directly to their homes.

Offsite Closures

Back on Saturday, June 26, AFAC held the last offsite food distribution at the Green Valley Community Services Center. Prior to merging with Bridges to Independence, the Bonder & Amanda Johnson Community Development Corporation has been a Saturday morning AFAC food distribution site since 2011. The amount of families utilizing this distribution has shrunk in size over the last several years and significantly in the last year. With AFAC’s main facility a short distance away and with overlapping distribution times, the remaining families can pick up their groceries at Nelson Street.

On the day of the final distribution, AFAC and Bridges to Independence held a small celebration to thank the many volunteers, clients, and staff who made this food distribution center a welcoming and friendly experience.

Distribution volunteers with AFAC CEO Charlie Meng and Bridges to Independence CEO Sam Kelly at the final food distribution at Green Valley.

After Friday, July 30, AFAC will close the offsite food distribution at the Assembly of God Church. This center was opened as a short-term distribution site in response to the pandemic and the increased demand for food assistance in the Buckingham neighborhood. A temporary site was held at the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington until the Assembly of God site was established. Over the past few months, client activity using this site has dwindled and remaining clients can utilize surrounding distributions, such as the Gates of Ballston (Friday), Clarendon UMC (Saturday), Arlington Mill (Monday), or Nelson Street.

The reorganization of offsite distribution sites will give AFAC flexibility to open new food distribution sites as needed, inside or outside of Arlington’s borders to address food insecurity in our area.