“The Helpers Are Hurting.” This is the cover story for the most recent issue of Arlington Magazine. The sub-title is very direct: “Arlington’s safety-net nonprofits are under duress. Need is on the rise. Now what?”  

As I look for topics to write about each week, it is impossible to ignore the impact of the Federal cuts by the Trump Administration for a wide range of social services. These cuts are straining the social safety net in Arlington (and in all of Virginia.) On top of that, there have been massive layoffs of federal employees, exacerbated by a government shutdown. “Now what?” is indeed the question that we all need to confront, in this important moment in history.  

“Meeting the Moment.” This simple phrase was the theme for a challenge provided by Arlington Community Foundation CEO Jenn Owens before a room of nearly 600 community members at their annual Spirit of Community Awards Luncheon on November 7. Owen asked everyone to dig deeper and to “find it in ourselves to meet this moment.” Owen used this opportunity to announce a new round of at least $500,000 in “Meeting the Moment” grants to be provided by the Foundation to Arlington-serving non-profits over the next 6 months. Owen further encouraged the crowd to consider meeting this moment by using the Foundation’s Nonprofit Holiday Wish Catalog, featuring the needs of over 70 local nonprofits in one place.  This Catalog provides an easily accessible window to discover the many organizations that are “meeting this moment” in many ways (and they make it very easy to donate to these organizations). 

By way of example, Arlington Thrive lists their goals: “To keep vulnerable Arlington families warm this winter by preventing utility shut-offs.” The catalog states that “your gift ensures children can do homework under the lights, parents can cook hot meals, and seniors can stay safe in heated homes. A $250 donation will cover essential heating and electricity for one month for a family.”

Meanwhile, the County is taking its own pro-active steps to meet this moment to support residents who may be impacted by the disruption to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Arlington County has approved a one-time, emergency allocation of $350,000 to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). This emergency funding will allow AFAC to increase its capacity to serve additional SNAP-affected households in November and to boost AFAC’s overall capacity for the remainder of this fiscal year.  

Arlington County has a long history of citizens stepping up and filling a need.  This strong impulse on the part of our community is evident in the way that many of our non-profits were created in the first place. In the 1980s, a few individuals identified the need for food security, and did something about it. AFAC was founded with the goal of “obtaining and distributing groceries, directly and free of charge, to people living in Arlington, who cannot afford to purchase enough food to meet their basic needs.” The organization began distributing food in a van purchased from the Capital Area Community Food Bank. The group initially delivered to a small, rotating list of families provided by local churches. After a year of operating out of the van, the First Baptist Church of Clarendon offered AFAC a fixed operating site. In 1992, AFAC acquired its own operating site in Clarendon, and in 1997 AFAC moved to its current headquarters in Shirlington to accommodate its growing operation. AFAC now distributes over 5.5 million pounds of food annually, serving thousands of families. 

It is encouraging to see the community rise to the challenge of meeting the emergency needs of the moment. I am reminded of a newspaper article from 1944 that I recently came across. County Board member Edmund Campbell convened a childcare committee in response to an urgent need: working mothers during the war were having difficulty finding childcare. An emergency need was identified, and the County responded with an effort that included a somewhat informal arrangement for residents to help take care of pre-school children. “Meeting the moment,” whether in 1944, 1988, or 2025, requires community effort to meet all the emerging needs.