Lorton Community Action Center executive director Linda Patterson (left) and volunteers Sandy Adams of Springfield (center) and Laura Holsinger (right) of Springfield helped prepare donated toys, food and wrapping paper for over 300 families. Adams and Holsinger are also staff at Newington Forest Elementary School. Photo by Tim Peterson.
On Friday, Lorton Community Action Center executive director Linda Patterson realized they were going to be short on gift cards for clients as part of the nonprofit’s holiday package distribution. There were 29 senior citizens and individuals with disabilities who might be left without gifts.
She immediately sent out an email blast to people on their contact list. The next morning, “I had my inbox filled,” with responses, Patterson said. People wanted to know how many cards she still needed and where they could deliver them.
“It’s really inspiring how people responded to the need,” she said. “This community is so generous. Every event, they’ve gone above and beyond.”
The following Sunday, Dec. 20, 297 families were scheduled to pick up holiday packages of food, presents and wrapping paper from LCAC. Starting Friday, it took upwards of 60 volunteers working in sessions all weekend to set up the package distribution room.
Another 25 military families will pick up packages from a different location and a truck will go out delivering packages to an additional 147 households with senior citizens or individuals with disabilities.
The Lorton Community Action Center currently provides food for roughly 250 households each week, up from about 210 weekly over the summer. Food donations become more sought after especially during Christmas break, when students don’t have access to free and reduced meals at school. But Patterson said plentiful donations this fall have kept their food pantry shelves well-stocked.
“People just want to be generous,” she said. “It’s an unspoken way to combat all the craziness in this world. The families are immensely grateful for what this community does for them.”