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Weekly meals for elderly neighbors in Arlington

Ian runs a volunteer pantry feeding 226 families; this fund restocks shelves for the school holidays.

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Ian M. McBride
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Arlington
Since 2023, our volunteer team has run Open Hands Pantry every Thursday from the back of a community center. We started with 13 families, and now we feed 226 each week. Donations have dropped by about 41% this school holidays, while the line has grown every single week. We rely on volunteers - 12 of us - and keep no salaries or overhead. I buy staples at wholesale prices at the Arlington market and keep every receipt. Each $35 feeds a family of four for a week. All of the funds go to groceries, fresh produce, and cold-storage costs. Where the $2,750 goes: • Fresh vegetables and fruit: $1,050 • Refrigeration and electricity: $115 • Rice, beans, flour and oil (wholesale): $1,585 Thanks for being kind about this.

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  • Goro Yamashita 🇯🇵 · $200

    “Be well. Hope you get the rest soon. - Shinjuku”

  • Christina Stavrou 🇬🇷 · $25
  • Alicja Barbara Nowakowski 🇵🇱 · $30

    “Blessings. My colleague told me about this one. - Kraków”

  • Lucas André Albuquerque 🇧🇷 · $20

    “Every little bit. Hope the December deadline works out. - Belo Horizonte”

  • Anonymous 🇵🇰 · $25
  • Stephanie W. Yang 🇺🇸 · $10
  • Álvaro T. Cortés 🇨🇴 · $15
  • Lauren M. Kim 🇬🇧 · $25
  • Kirana Ika Wijaya 🇮🇩 · $20

    “Stay strong. Been where you're, it gets better. - Makassar”

  • Gilbert Mabini 🇵🇭 · $50
  • Rima Taghreed Badawi 🇪🇬 · $20
  • Fernando Caio Martins 🇧🇷 · $20
  • Iván N. Quintero 🇨🇴 · $25
  • Anonymous 🇪🇹 · $100
  • Anonymous 🇲🇦 · $100
  • Anisa Handoko 🇮🇩 · $50
  • Anonymous 🇮🇳 · $50

    “Thought of Ian all day after reading this. - Varanasi”

  • Temitope Chiamaka Bankole 🇳🇬 · $10

    “Wishing you the best. Thought of Ian all day after reading this. - Asaba”

  • Francisca Heloísa Pacheco 🇧🇷 · $79

    “Keep your head up. I'm in Niterói, thinking of you. - Niterói”

  • Yetunde Fashola 🇳🇬 · $10

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  • Praying for you, Ian. Hope you get there. It's not much but it's yours. Love from Jimma.

    • Best of luck, Ian. Great idea, hope you get there.

      • Great idea, hope you get there. My daughter saw me on my phone and now she wants to give her pocket money. Thinking of Arlington

        • Wilfredo N. SalvadorPhoto verified

          shared this with my family. My late mom used to say help given quietly counts double!

          • thanks for sharing this. Projects like this are what make a place worth living in. Love from Haarlem.

            $3,299 raised of $2,750

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