LINK Reports 585% Increase in Deliveries—Donations Urgently Needed

LINK Against Hunger is a volunteer run Christian organization comprised of churches and some businesses in Western Fairfax and Eastern Loudoun County providing emergency food to families in need.  St. Veronica, as many parishioners know, is one of the member churches, and many of you have contributed non-perishable food items in the brown bins in the vestibules for the LINK food pantry.  Still others of you have volunteered your time to make deliveries of groceries for our brothers and sisters in need. 

During this pandemic as many people are out of work, the number of people calling in for assistance has increased significantly.  During a normal week LINK serves about 20 families.  In the last few weeks deliveries have been made to between 110 and 140 families per week.  The volunteers who run LINK, instead of turning people away as the calls keep coming in, have decided to try and serve all who come and are in need.  They put this in action and the response has been great.  More packers are needed and more have signed up to help.  More drivers need, and they, too, have come forward!  Procedures are in place to deliver and keep the drivers and the clients safe.  It has truly been a heroic effort on the part of everyone. 

So far, they have been able fill this need, but now resources at the pantry and larger storage pantry are being depleted.

Here’s how you can help:

1. Please consider dropping off donations of non-perishable food items in the St. Veronica vestibules.  We will get them to the LINK Pantry.

2. You may, instead, send items through the Amazon Wish List, “LINK Pantry List.”  The items will be delivered right to the pantry. Go to LINK’s home page, linkagainsthunger.org, to access the list.

3. There is also a need for grocery store gift cards.  LINK usually provides each family a gift card for perishable produce or meat.  Their funds for purchasing the gift cards are also running very low.  If you feel called to make a monetary donation to LINK for this purpose please send a check to LINK, P.O Box 443, Sterling, VA 20167, or through the website www.linkagainsthunger.org/donate-money.

Above all, we ask you keep everyone in prayer—those who are trying to feed their families and those who are going the extra mile to make that happen.  Thank you, so much!  ~ Patty Bartnick