This video – developed for the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in 2022 – showcases NACDS’ engagement with the Arlington Food Assistance Center.
For the past seven years, NACDS has partnered with the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) to combat food insecurity in its surrounding community. NACDS contributes to AFAC through both financial and volunteer support, with events ranging from food-bagging events to holiday food drives to gleaning events. This continued partnership is part of NACDS’ promise to the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health to support the elimination of hunger and food insecurity throughout the nation.
When asked about these events, NACDS employees’ faces lit up, remembering their fun volunteering with coworkers. One of these employees was Stephanie Bennett, who recalled how sometimes she and her coworkers would turn it into a friendly competition. Another employee, Kwaku Gyamfi, noted that everyone was happy to help and that employees had joy on their faces while volunteering.
AFAC serves around 3,000 families per week, amounting to over 3 million pounds of groceries distributed yearly to families in need. They streamline their service by allowing families to choose items off their shelves, meaning families can take home products they know they will use and enjoy. This choice model reduces food waste and saves money, maximizing the aid that AFAC can provide in the community. 60% of the food AFAC gives out is purchased from national distributors and local suppliers with donations, as they receive no federal or state funding. The other 40% comes from donations from food drives. Food drives from large businesses accounted for 67,205 pounds of food in 2022, estimated to be worth around $130,000.
In an interview with AFAC’s Director of Volunteer Services, Danielle Rampton, she stated that the goal of AFAC is to treat their clients with as much dignity as possible. To achieve this, they check the quality of every piece of food that comes in, ensuring that the food is suitable for the families walking through AFAC’s doors. They also consider the cultural differences among their clients and aim to give people the food they want. These efforts pay off as 91% of the people AFAC serves report that the food they receive meets their cultural needs.
Dave Fitzsimmons noted that volunteering is much more personal than writing a check and is a great way to give back to the community and promote a company’s brand and involvement. Another employee who was interviewed, Sergio Vargas, said that NACDS is a community company and that, as such, it has the potential to change our community for the better.
The AFAC Director of Development, Jolie Smith, said in an interview that a good partnership with a company like AFAC is one where a company contributes with volunteer time, financial donations, and food donations. This kind of partnership maximizes the benefit for both entities as companies like NACDS get the community-building time they want, and companies like AFAC get everything it needs to continue helping their clientele. Fitzsimmons finished his interview reflecting on the benefits of this partnership, saying that it is just a little bit of staff time for a great reward.
