Community members of all ages are preparing to gather to take a stand against hunger and need in the Fairfax County area at Britepaths’ (formerly Our Daily Bread) and Lorton Community Action Center’s (LCAC) Complete the Circle FOODRaiser, to be held from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6 at South County Middle School (8700 Laurel Crest Drive, Lorton).
Individuals and groups are invited to register for this community event and service project. Participants will gather to create a unique “living picture” (image at top) that will be photographed from 100 feet above by artist Daniel Dancer of Art for the Sky. Participants are encouraged to register at www.CompletetheCircleFx.org by Sept. 30 to reserve their T-shirts ($5 per shirt, $10 for XXL) and ensure their team name is printed on the back of the T-shirt. On-line and in-person registration will still be available after that date, but T-shirts will not be guaranteed.
Attendees are asked to bring a donation of at least three food pantry items or a grocery store gift card. The pantry donations will create the perimeter of the Art for the Sky picture and will later be distributed to families in need who are served by Britepaths and Lorton Community Action Center.
More than 1,500 community members participated in the organizations’ 2015 Complete the Circle event at Fairfax High School, and they donated more than 11,000 pounds of food and supplies and more than $1,000 worth of grocery store gift cards and financial donations to help needy families throughout the Fairfax County area. The goal for Complete the Circle 2016 is to have 1,500 participants, raise 15,000 pounds of food and $10,000 in donations to help the working poor throughout the Fairfax County area.
A celebration with refreshments, children’s games and entertainment, and live music will precede the photo shoot, featuring live music, children’s activities, and refreshments. Individuals, families and groups are encouraged to participate, and sponsorships and in-kind donation opportunities are available. All proceeds will benefit Britepaths and LCAC’s efforts to assist struggling residents of the Fairfax County area.
Britepaths’ Executive Director Lisa Whetzel said, “Participating in Complete the Circle is a joyful way for community members to come together to be part of the solution to the very real problem of hunger and need in our midst. We welcome community members to join us that day and to start planning now to make the event even more meaningful by putting together a team of family, friends, coworkers or community group members to participate that day, and running a grocery gift card or food drive to help ‘Complete the Circle’ of giving and sharing.”
LCAC Executive Director Linda Patterson said, “The donation of food and gift cards will enable both LCAC and Britepaths to help the hundreds of families we see each month who struggle to feed their families. More than 28,000 children in Fairfax County are food-insecure. We can change that through Complete the Circle, and I believe we will find that we all can make a difference to families in our community.”
For more information, registration and a list of most-needed pantry donations, visitwww.CompletetheCircleFx.org or call 703-273-8829.