LCAC receives grant from Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation

Lorton Community Action Center (LCAC) announced July 27 that it received a $2,700 donation from Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Food Lion.

The grant was one of many that Food Lion Feeds made in recent months to nonprofits across the 10 states in which Food Lion grocery stores operate.

LCAC, which has received previous funding from the foundation, as well as weekly food donations from the Food Lion at Gunston Plaza, plans to use the grant for purchasing meat, produce and other high-demand food items for its pantry. The pantry feeds almost 1,000 people weekly and in recent months has seen higher visitation — at least partly due to continued high food prices and the end of emergency Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits in mid-February.

Pantry visits rose from 1,740 during the January to March 2023 timeframe to 2,025 between April and June 2023 — a more than 16% increase, according to LCAC development associate Mallorie Greene.

“Food Lion’s support is especially meaningful now with food costs rising and rents increasing,” said LCAC Executive Director Rob Rutland-Brown. “This gift is key to sustaining our work through our food pantry, our rent and utility assistance, our educational programs and all our community events.”

Information on LCAC’s food pantry, including current needs, can be found on the nonprofit’s website.