Sheriff Sean Casey, center, cuts the ribbon to the new ALIVE! refrigerated food truck Nov. 12 at the organization’s headquarters in Old Town. The truck was donated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Members of the community joined ALIVE! in celebrating the donation of a 26-foot refrigerated delivery truck from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints with a ribbon cutting Nov. 12 at the organization’s warehouse in Old Town.
The donation of the truck will increase the capacity of ALIVE! to transport food donations, collect donated furniture, and bring essential groceries items to distribution points in the City of Alexandria.
“Our other four trucks are each 16 feet long,” said ALIVE! executive director Jennifer Ayers. “This larger truck allows us to transport more pallets, more furniture, and has a ramp and lift, thus increasing our ability to deliver more efficiently and effectively. And because it's refrigerated, it significantly increases our capacity to transport and maintain cold goods.”
Joining Ayers were ALIVE! board president Rolf Blank, Bishop Zach Parks from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, ALIVE! program chairs Jim Karlson and Nancy Lopez, ALIVE! Congregational Representative to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Maggie Haslam, and Alexandria Sheriff Sean Casey.
“That word ‘neighbor’ perfectly captures the work of ALIVE! because ALIVE! involves neighbors serving neighbors in the most literal sense of the word,” Bishop Parks said. “Since 2020, members of the Alexandria congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have organized 11 trucks sent from Salt Lake City with 40,000 pounds of food to ALIVE! and various partner organizations here in our community.”
ALIVE! provides support to Alexandrians struggling with food insecurity and economic disparity. Each month, ALIVE! helps roughly 20,000 Alexandrians secure essential food, respond to financial emergencies, and meet other basic needs such as housing and furniture.
“[This partnership] is about how we care for our neighbors, one by one, person by person.”
— Bishop Zach Parks
“ALIVE! works with many organizations and we have to have transportation to carry out our mission,” said Rolf Blank, president of the ALIVE! board of directors. “A lot of our work is transporting fresh food to delivery points across the city. This is our second refrigerated truck and is much larger so it will help us better serve the community.”
ALIVE! provides services through three programming areas: food, housing, and financial assistance. Founded in 1969, the organization is supported by a 17 member staff, 50 interfaith congregations and thousands of volunteers, partners and donors. Each month, ALIVE! helps Alexandrians through two Food Hubs, pantry partners, and distribution sites. ALIVE! Also helps respond to financial emergencies and prevent eviction; and to secure other support services and essential needs such as housewares and furniture.
“Ultimately the partnership is not about how many cubic feet can be carried by a truck or how many pounds of food are distributed,” Bishop Parks said. “It is about how we care for our neighbors, one by one, person by person.”
ALIVE! will provide many holiday meals this season, and asks that people consider donating food items and helping ALIVE! distribute meals around the holidays. Financial donations are also needed https://www.alive-inc.org/make-financial-donation-alexandria-va/
For more information, visit alive-inc.org