Falls Church community responds to call for help

A truck load of food donations will soon head to a food bank in Beaumont, Texas, for Hurricane Harvey relief.

For Immediate Release

September 7, 2017

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – It’s hard not to notice the large truck outside of St. James Catholic Church located at the corner of Spring and Park Streets in Falls Church. The sign on the Penske Moving truck reads, in part, ‘Hurricane Harvey Food Drive.’ And the extraordinary amount of people stopping by to donate food has been overwhelming, but not surprising, to the parish’s pastor, Fr. Patrick Posey. “Whether the crisis is near or far, at home or half way across the world, our community bands together. I am grateful to everyone in our parish and the greater Falls Church community.”

Fr. Posey learned about the food bank’s needs from a friend who runs the Southeast Texas Food Bank located in Beaumont. “He told me after Hurricane Harvey that the food bank was in dire need of food,” said Fr. Posey. 

Between September 2 and September 7, the parish has collected tons of food, including snack items like granola bars, peanut butter crackers, protein bars; pop-top ready-to-eat items such as applesauce and fruit cups; and shelf stable pantry items like peanut butter, jelly, tuna, chili and soup.

In addition to parish announcements, emails and social outreach efforts, Fr. Posey reached out to Marybeth Connelly, Vice Mayor of the Falls Church City Council, to invite participation from the entire local community, including the high schools. He’s also invited parishioners and neighbors to bring one can of food to the parish’s annual picnic on Sunday, September 10, in one last effort before the truck heads to Texas. A parishioner has volunteered to drive the truck to Beaumont on September 11. 

“Now more than ever we must live out our call to active and intentional discipleship and do the small things that make a difference, following the example of Mother Teresa, who said ‘If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one,’” said Fr. Posey.

For more details or a list of needed items, please visit www.stjamescatholic.org/harvey, call the parish office at 703-532-8815, or stop by the truck to pick up the list.