Arlington County Police hold 'Fill the Cruiser' food drive for families in need
ARLINGTON, Va. (ABC7) — The Arlington County Police Department joined the fight against food insecurity on Tuesday evening, with a series of food drives intended to help families in need.
The 'Fill the Cruiser' campaign comes as the coronavirus pandemic has left many people out of work and worried about where their next meal might come from.
"We understand people have been losing their jobs, money isn't coming in the way it should be, so we're just trying to assist those who are in need," said Corporal Steven Wallace with the Arlington County Police Department.
The department set up contactless, drive-thru donation stations at three different locations: Westover Baptist Church on Patrick Henry Drive, Police Headquarters on N. Courthouse Road, and the Giant Food grocery store at 2901 S. Glebe Road.
ABC7 caught up with Wallace and his fellow officers at the S. Glebe Road location, where the donations came in quickly starting at six p.m.
"It's amazing, just the willingness of the community to come out and help each other," said Wallace. "It warms your heart when you see those who can provide pull up with a car full of food."
The Arlington County Police Department will bring all donations to the Arlington Food Assistance Center. The nonprofit distributes over 80,000 pounds of food to more than 2,400 families every week.
In recent months, AFAC has faced a growing need due to COVID-19.
According to AFAC's website, more than 35% of the people the organization serves are children.
AFAC accepts most unopened, unexpired, and unprepared foods, including perishable items.
Prior to the police department's food drive, organizers said AFAC is most in need of the following low sodium, low fat and low sugar items: low sodium tomato products (diced, paste, and sauce), low sodium canned tuna, low sodium canned beans, low sodium canned soup, canned vegetables, peanut butter (in plastic jars), and low-sugar cereal.
"We are donating the things they had on the list, so beans and soup and cereal," said Arlington County resident Elaine Clark, as she and her kids stopped by to make a donation. "It's really important to give as much as we can."
If you could not make it to Tuesday's food drive, you can still make a donation to AFAC.
Click here to find a donation drop-off site near where you live.
