Can you help ACCA meet the increased demand for food?

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As families across the country struggle with reduced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, we have seen a huge increase in demand for food from our food pantry here in Annandale. At the same time, we’ve all seen the increased prices for food overall which is depleting the funds we’ve set aside for fresh foods. Although we had very successful food drives in February, our shelves are bare.

Can you help? We need:

  • Nonperishable foods – We collect food donations Tuesday-Friday afternoons from 1:30 pm – 4 pm, with the exception of County Holidays and other scheduled closings. The ACCA food pantry is located at 7200 Columbia Pike (trailer separate from the day care center) in Annandale (next to the fire station). Please do not drop off food if a volunteer is not available. What we need.

Please share this information with your family, friends, and neighbors. Thank you all for your ongoing support for those in need of food!

For more information, please contact Gail Coleman, [email protected], 703-354-0656, or go to the ACCA website, https://accacares.org/.

Summer Exploratory Book Journey: Reading the Bible from the Margins

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Last year we explored an Education for Ministry (EfM) Interlude Book: The Dream of God By Verna J. Dozier

Join us this year for another exploratory book journey into:

Reading the Bible from the Margins By Miguel A. De La Torre

Or, in other words, how to read the Bible from perspectives that are often ignored; for example, from the perspective of the victims of discrimination.  The author shows how “standard” readings of the Bible, and interpretation by the dominant culture, are not always acceptable to people on the “margins” of that dominant culture.

A comment by Cain Hope Felder, author, Troubling Biblical Waters: “This innovative resource is filled with considerable multicultural capital that can help many better understand the sad persistence of many ‘great divides’ in a nation that is so ready to proclaim to the world, ‘United We Stand!’”

We will explore together this timely and challenging book over 4 Wednesday evenings this summer:  July 12, 19, 26, and August 2.  Join us from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, via ZOOM, to discuss and share thoughts about the important messages provided by this author.

An excerpt from the author’s Introduction: “All football players are damned!  According to the Scriptures, anyone who plays football is cursed by God and will spend eternity in hell.  The Bible is very clear about this.  According to Deuteronomy: ‘The pig, because its hoof is divided and it does not chew its cud, is unclean.  You shall not eat its flesh, nor touch its dead skin’ (14:8).  So anyone who touches a ‘pigskin,’ another name for a football, is cursed.  . . .  Yet my understanding of Deuteronomy 14:8, regardless of how legitimate and logical it may be to me, is still rejected by the majority of Christians.  Why?”

Got your attention?  If you would like to join us in this journey, please email Pam Matthes at [email protected]  by June 28, 2023.  [The first 5 to sign up will receive their books for FREE!]

Annandale Christian Community for Action: Call for Food Donations Support

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Help Our Hungry Neighbors

Due to the end of COVID assistance, families across the US struggle with their reduced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. As a result we have seen a huge increase in demand for food from our food pantry here in Annandale!

Our food donations for February were 8,905 lbs. an amount twice as high as January 2023 thanks to the Stuff-the-Bus Campaign as well as the Stuff-the-Cruiser Campaign, both of which brought in over 2,000 pounds of food.

In February the ACCA Food Pantry provided food for 106 households and 369 individuals, which was very close to the same numbers we had for January, so the need for food assistance remains extremely high. Pre-pandemic we had approximately 8 deliveries a week now we are doing closer to 30!

With this increase in demand our shelves are BARE!!

Some of the Items Needed Include:

Bar soap, Beef stew, Canned Beans including Kidney, Black, Pinto. Baked, Garbanzo (chickpeas), Baked, Canned Chicken, Canned vegetables, Canned fruit, Cereal, Coffee (Instant preferred), Cooking oil, Diced Tomatoes, Dish soap, Dry Black Beans, Dry Red Beans, Diapers all sizes, Feminine napkins, Flour, Juice, Jelly/Jam, Laundry Soap, Macaroni & Cheese, Maseca/Masa, Mayonnaise/Ketchup/Mustard, Oatmeal, Pancake syrup, Paper Towels, Rice (1 or 2 lb. bag) , Shampoo, Soups (Chunky), Spaghetti Sauce, Sugar, Tea, Toilet Paper, Tomato Sauce, Tooth brushes, Tortillas, Tuna.

PLEASE HELP!!

1) Donate Nonperishable foods – We will be collecting food donations Tuesday-Friday afternoons from 1:30-4 pm, with the exception of County Holidays and other scheduled closings. The ACCA food pantry is located at 7200 Columbia Pike (trailer separate from the day care center) in Annandale. Please do not drop off food if a volunteer is not available.

2) Donate Cash to purchase fresh foods. Donate through the Catalogue for Philanthropy at https://www.cfp-dc.org/cfpdc/checkout_onestep.php?charity_id=94251

3) Volunteer to schedule and make deliveries – fill out the volunteer interest form at https://accacares.org/volunteer-interest-form/

ACCA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

Samaritan Ministry 35th Anniversary Gala

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On Saturday, November 6, 2021 from 7pm to 8pm, Samaritan Ministry will be hosting its annual fundraiser. Please join St. Albans and over forty parishes in the tri-state area (DC, Maryland and Virginia) who will be participating virtually to celebrate Samaritan 35th year celebrating their service to help participants meet their goals. During this gala, Samaritan Ministry will be providing awards for Outstanding Achievement, Compassionate Service and Outstanding Partner.

In addition, there will be a silent auction of baskets assembled by partner churches, including 2 gift baskets submitted by St. Albans! To see all the baskets in the auction, please go to Samaritan Ministry Gala’s site . When you click “auction”, you will see all the baskets but in order to bid on a basket you will need to register for the event. Below is how to register for the event.

Please click here to register now!

The gala will be live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube. If you’re watching on your own device, the Gala will be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube, and it will be available to watch on their Website.