Mailing Address
PO Box 220802 Chantilly, VA 20153
Office & Food Pantry
13981 Metrotech Drive Chantilly, VA 20151Thrift Store
13989 Metrotech DriveChantilly, VA 20151 Tel: (703) 988-9656
Fax: (703) 988-9655
info@wfcmva.org
WFCM WEBSITE
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General
Client Needs
- New, unmarked Bibles, just in English (we have enough Spanish Bibles now).
- Gas cards. An ongoing need.
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Most Urgent
Food Pantry Needs
The needs expressed here are listed in order of need (greatest listed first). A current listing is posted on the Needs page of our website at all times.
Click HERE for printable shopping
lists for you and two friends!
FOOD & BEVERAGES
- Oil (48 oz. or smaller)
- Flour (2-5 lb. bag)
- Sugar (2-5 lb. bag)
- Canned Meat
- Mayonnaise
- Salad Dressing
- Canned Fruit
- Jelly
- Canned Beets
- Canned Spinach
- Canned Mixed Vegetables
- Canned Potatoes
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Cocoa
- Coffee
- Ketchup
- Mustard
TOILETRIES
- Laundry Detergent (28-32 load size)
- Toothpaste
- Shampoo
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Most Urgent
Volunteer Needs
While we are always in need of volunteer support, the needs expressed here are those that are most critical only. A current listing is posted on the Needs page of our website at all times.
For a printable flyer, click HERE!
THRIFT STORE
Regular weekly volunteers needed for two or three hour shifts on Mondays and Fridays between 9:00am and 6:00pm.
Regular weekly volunteers needed for two or three hour shifts on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00pm to 6:00pm.
Regular weekly or bi-weekly volunteer needed for Saturdays from 2:00pm to 5:00pm.
FOOD PANTRY Regular weekly volunteer needed to bag groceries from 11:00am to 2:30pm on Mondays.
Regular weekly volunteer needed to bag/stock groceries from 11:00am to 2:30pm on Wednesdays
FURNITURE MINISTRY
One on-call volunteer needed to assist our regular volunteer with moving furniture that will be given to clients in need. This volunteer may also need to lift other items for the Thrift Store (usually Tuesdays or Fridays).
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Thrift Store
Corner
Click HERE for the April 2012 Thrift Store Sales Calendar.
Please stop by and see us! We have flexible business hours and a spectacular variety of inventory to start off this new year. Bring in the coupon below for a great discount on our reasonably-priced merchandise!
Questions about donations hours? Want to know what donations we are able to accept?
Learn more HERE...
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1st Annual Bread & Water Campaign
In lieu of the Annual WFCM Golf Tournament, we are excited to announce a new Spring opportunity to support us...the 1st Annual Bread & Water Campaign! "Bread & Water" is a simple coin collecting campaign in which donors fill water bottles--provided at no cost to your church or business--with your donations! Your contributions will be put forward in support of our mission to provide life essential support to those needing our assistance.
The Campaign will run from approximately March-May 2012. If your church or business is interested, please contact Melissa Jansen today! She will provide you with an information packet, show you a sample bottle and answer any question(s) you have about the campaign.
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WFCM Career Opportunities
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Blessings!
I am Irish by birth--Mahaffey--and I love to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and the month of March! While I have my own certain beliefs about the "luck" of the Irish, I am more inclined to believe that all good things that come to us are really just blessings rather than luck.
This month at WFCM, we are focusing on our many blessings that we recognize come from God--and there are numerous.
- Our board, staff and volunteers are certainly a blessing. Some have served their term, some have just recently joined us and some are still yet to come.
- Our customers and our donors bless us.
- And most of all, the clients that we serve bless us. They often tell us that they are grateful to us...for a smile, a bag of food, for clothing we give them, or for paying a bill. However, the truth is that THEY are the reason we are happy to come to work. Recently, a government official was taking a tour of the office. When he stopped to ask a client where he lived, the client mentioned that he currently resided at the hypothermia shelter nearby. Later, the client commented on how it was such an honor to meet the official and how special he felt. I smiled to myself, thinking, "No, it's the other way around. He was most honored to meet you."
As I close, let me share with you one of my favorite old Irish blessings:
AN OLD IRISH BLESSING
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
God bless you,
Melissa M. Jansen
WFCM Executive Director
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WFCM Pathways Program: Three 6-month Updates
NOTE: Client names have been changed for confidentiality purposes.
Pamela is a single mother of a 16 year-old. When she started the Pathways program, she was earning $12/hour full-time in Alexandria. WFCM partnered with one of our supporting churches to pay for her to take an LNA certification program through Grace Ministries. After successfully completing the class, she is now working part-time earning $11/hour in addition to her full-time job. WFCM will work with the church to pay for the next level of certification, CNA training. Upon completion of that program, she will be eligible to earn up to $20/hour. And at that time, she will be able to have ONE full-time job to support she and her daughter. Pamela, with the support of the Freddie Mac funds, has been able to reduce her debt by 52%. She has been working with a budget counselor monthly. She now has a savings account that she has been contributing to each month. Her rent and utilities are current and being paid on time. She comes to the WFCM Food Pantry once a month for food assistance.
Sam and Debbie are parents of a toddler and an infant. Sam stays home with the children and Debbie works full time. When they first entered the program, Debbie was earning $4,064/month, however, they were in debt due to having two premature babies (e.g., medical expenses). Debbie found a new job that pays $4,166/month, and it has better benefits. She is also eligible for bonuses. They have also, with the help of the Freddie Mac funds, been able to reduce their debt by 34%. They were able to pay all back rent and have moved to a more affordable apartment that is closer to her job so they are saving on commuting costs. They continue to receive assistance from WFCM with food and clothing. Sam will continue to work on his computer skills so he can return to work when the children go to school.
Marion and Steve are parents of two daughters, one of whom attends a community college pursuing her nursing degree. When Steve entered the program, he had been working as a stocker part-time since he was laid off. He has secured full-time employment working as a maintenance worker at a local church. The full-time employment does not have the benefits he needs to take care of his disabled wife so he is keeping both jobs. He has been able to reduce his debt by 25% and start a savings account. His daughter has started working part-time to help pay for her clinical expenses that are required for her nursing degree. He would like to take a certification class to get a maintenance license. Steve's rent and other bills are current and he is able to pay them on time. His daughter comes to the food pantry once a month and receives clothing assistance.
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Please Welcome...
WFCM has recently had some staffing changes.
In February, Kitty Beachy, a long-time volunteer, was hired for the Thrift Store Assistant position. Kitty isn't new to the store...she's been volunteering there for the past two years. And when the call for a new Food Pantry Manager was placed, Terri Kelly, our former Community Outreach Manager, heard the call. Terri's first official day as our Food Pantry Manager was Saturday, March 3.
We are blessed to have them as part of the WFCM family. They both genuinely love people and have a passion for what they do and it shows every day in every way.
Please congratulate these two familiar faces when you see them!
(Pictured Left to Right: Terri Kelly, Kitty Beachy)
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WFCM Retirement
March 2 was former Food Pantry Manager Cindy Nichols' last day at WFCM.
Cindy, as some of you may know, had been with us since 2007, and while here, she collected many official (and several unofficial) job titles...Food Pantry Manager, Assistant Food Pantry Manager, Administrative Assistant, Registration Coordinator, Table Host Coordinator, Plumber, Electrician, Refrigerator Repairwoman, Electrician, Delivery Gal, Copy Repairwoman, Geek on the Run and Dumpster Diver. This likely doesn't cover all of them. Cindy was very much a "can do" person here at WFCM and that won't change now that she's retired. We were certainly blessed to have her!
We have appreciated her hard work, love of community as well as her sense of humor. We wish her the very best in her retirement and know that whatever projects she sets out to accomplish, they will be fantastic.
PS: Fill out your WFCM Volunteer Application, Cindy. *wink*
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Ministry Partners Web Update
WFCM recently updated our Ministry Partners page of supporting churches, businesses and grantors. What's significant about this are the links we've established with our church partners. This will serve as a great resource to clients and community at large who are seeking a relationship with Jesus Christ and may be looking for a church to call "home".
COMING SOON = Links to our business and grant partners!
If you are interested in partnering with WFCM and want to learn more how you can help, please contact us today!
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WFCM on Twitter!
WFCM is now on Twitter. Yes, we're TWEETING! Church Partners...following us is a great way to get the latest scoop for your congregations! :) If you don't have an active Twitter account, but are curious as to what the hype is all about, check out our new live feed on our website. We also have a similar live feed page for our Facebook posts.
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Praise & Thanksgiving
- Praise God for Terri Kelly and Kitty Beachy, familiar faces in new roles. YOU ROCK, ladies!
- Praise God for our new Board members, Dawn Barbee and Paul Karstetter, who start their terms in April. Thank you for accepting the call.
- Praise God for Sharon Hoover, Director of Student Ministry from Centreville Presbyterian Church & the Westfield Students who volunteer once a month during the school year in both the Thrift Store & Food Pantry.
- Praise God for Mackenzie Maison & all her friends from the York Swim Club who volunteered last month in our Thrift Store.
- Praise God for all our volunteers who are led to serve here in the ministry. You are a blessing to us!
- Praise God for the ongoing work of the local churches and community to fill our shelves for those in need of food. You are a blessing to us and to our neighbors in need!
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Prayers
- We continue to pray for all who are suffering physically, emotionally and/or financially.
- We pray for the continued health and strength of our clients, staff, Board and volunteers, as well as their walk with the Lord.
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