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Two nonprofits and one business from Arlington received "Keeping It Cool" grants to help pay for cold storage infrastructure.

Michael O'Connell, Patch Staff

ARLINGTON, VA — Morningstar Foundation awarded $700,000 in grants on May 1 to 22 food businesses and nonprofits, including three in Arlington, to support their efforts in providing healthy food to the hungry in their communities.

These "Keeping It Cool" grants provide funding to establish for cold storage infrastructure, such as refrigerators, freezers, coolers and delivery vehicles, to help the businesses and nonprofits with their work.

Three Arlington organizations received a combined $52,703 in Keeping It Cool grant funding:

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“We are excited to be receiving this grant as the growing demand for food has outpaced our ability to provide a healthy supply of fresh and frozen food," said Board Director Judy Kaueer. "The grant will allow us to improve food safety and shelf life with less spoilage. It will allow us to serve more people with increased efficiencies and less energy costs through new expanded refrigeration and an HVAC system."

This is the second year that The Morningstar Foundation has funded these grants. The Bainum Family Foundation and the Wells Fargo Foundation also provided support.

Bridges to Independence has empowered 16,000 homeless children and families since 1985. The $10,853 in Keeping It Cool grant funding will be used to purchase a new refrigerator and freezer.

“The freezers help Bridges to Independence to accept more donations of perishable items, reducing food waste and providing a wider variety of healthy options for the children and families staying at our emergency shelter for families, Sullivan House," said CEO Fraser Murdoch. "The added freezer capacity improves nutrition for the families and creates a more stable and comforting environment during what can be a challenging time. The grant enhances the emergency shelter's ability to provide food and promotes the well-being and health of the families we serve."

In addition, the Capital Area Food Bank, which provides food support across the DMV, including Arlington, will received $30,000 in Keeping It Cool funding to support the construction of refrigerator and freezer spaces at the new warehouse being build in Lorton.

View The Full List of 2024 Keeping It Cool Grantees

Susie and Michael Gelman, directors of The Morningstar Foundation, were thrilled to support the Keep It Cool for a second year.

“We understand that different organizations and entrepreneurs have distinct needs, and we also have learned more about differences throughout the region," the said, in a release. "Keeping it Cool not only provides resources to purchase the cold storage while also providing technical assistance tailored to support specific needs for each entity. We are proud that Keeping it Cool makes a difference to these innovative organizations and food businesses while also strengthening economic development in our region.”

This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

80 community members roll up their sleeves to tackle teen food insecurity in Arlington!

Renee Maxwell, Community Contributor

80 volunteers! That’s approximately how many community members rolled up their sleeves on April 27th to collect and sort over 2,100 pounds of food and toiletries bound for Arlington Public Schools–Arlington Career Center, Arlington Community High School, Gunston Middle School, Kenmore Middle School, Wakefield High School, and Washington-Liberty High School. These are six of 47 Food For Neighbors (FFN) schools that received nearly 26,000 pounds of donations collected. It was the perfect way to highlight the power of volunteerism as National Volunteer Week came to a close.

In Arlington County, 19 volunteer drivers and their helpers collected over 2,100 pounds of food and toiletries from 185 generous households. The drivers then delivered the donations to Kenmore Middle School, where nearly 40 volunteers sorted them for delivery to nearby schools. Hyatt Regency Crystal City and Girl Scout Troop 60262 delivered additional food drive donations, and Strategic Engineering Solutions and the Raising Responsible Citizens Education Foundation were among groups that joined community members in providing hands-on support.

“It really was a lovely event!” shared Annie Julaine, Outreach Manager with the Raising Responsible Citizens Education Foundation. “Everyone was super supportive and helpful with each other. The volunteers were all sharing tasks and it is really nice to see how people of every age gathered to support the community. We would love to be a part of it again.”

Food For Neighbors helps schools establish in-house pantries and mobilizes communities surrounding the schools to fill them with food and toiletries donated through the nonprofit's popular Red Bag Program. This makes food readily accessible for students to get a boost of energy during the school day and to take home to enjoy over weekends and holidays.

School staff, who connect Food For Neighbors resources with teens in need, have shared heartfelt stories about the gratitude and relief that students and their families feel when they receive the supplemental food support. Staff surveys also reflect that the majority of students experience multiple, positive impacts, including more regular school attendance and better focus. This helps students reach their full potential, which lifts them and the community up as a whole.

Find out what's happening in Arlingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Karen Joseph, Founder and Executive Director, greatly appreciates the many community members that make Food For Neighbors’ mission possible. She shared, “As National Volunteer Week comes to a close, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you who has dedicated your time and energy to our mission at Food For Neighbors. Your commitment lights the way toward a brighter future, free from childhood hunger. Your actions inspire hope and warmth within our community. We are deeply grateful for your efforts and truly could not do this without you. Thank you for being such an integral part of our journey and for your continued support.”

To learn more about Food For Neighbors and join more than 3,000 Red Bag donors and over 3,400 volunteers in making a difference, scan the below QR code or visit https://www.foodforneighbors.org/get-involved/.

Status

In Design

The project team is currently in design development of the preferred stairs-with-runnel concept in preparation for a final concept design, anticipated in Spring 2024.

Location

The project is located along an easement that lies parallel to I-395, extending from 13th Rd. South at Hoffman-Boston Elementary School down to the I-395 underpass along Memorial Drive and extending to the intersection at Army Navy Drive.

Project Update - March 2024

The County project team has reached the 30% concept design milestone, and is proceeding with design development through the remainder of 2024. See the images below for key highlights of the selected design alternative. The next design milestone will be shared at the 60% stage of development later in the year.

30% Design Key Takeaways

About the Project

This project has passed through several early site planning stages over the years, extending from the 1994 Bicycle Transportation Plan, approved CIP funding in 2018, to the MTP Bike Element and Public Spaces Master Plan, both adopted in 2019. The Pentagon City Sector Plan adopted in early 2022 has provided additional planning support for adjacent multimodal enhancement projects like the Arlington View Connector Trail project.

The project will provide a new trail connection between Memorial Drive at the Army Navy entrance gate and 13th Road South. at the Hoffman Boston Elementary School campus. At the level of implementation, the goal is to improve multi-modal connectivity between the Arlington View and Arlington Ridge neighborhoods that are presently separated by Shirley Memorial Highway (I-395).

In earlier stages of planning, the project had been referred to as the Army Navy Country Club (ANCC) Trail Connector. When the project was added to the Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) in 2018, that name was retained for continuity. As the project has now developed, it has been renamed Arlington View Connector Trail in recognition of the neighborhood where it is located.

Public Process

The project team has engaged the public to communicate differing scenarios for potential design development and to solicit feedback based on the scenarios presented. These preliminary scenarios have been thoroughly vetted by County engineering staff based on site survey data, studies of built precedents across the U.S. and other countries, preliminary calculations of trail slope, cut/fill analysis, potential structural elements, and user safety requirements.

Future key milestones for the project will include public engagement to communicate the final design, and to provide updates on procurement and construction timelines.

Engagement Timeline

(show below)

Fall 2023 - Project Update Open House

(show below)

Spring 2022 - Preliminary Alternatives

Funding

This project is entirely locally funded through the Transportation Capital Fund using local commercial and industrial (C&I) taxes, as well as NVTA Local funding.

Photo Gallery

These Covid tracking pages are no longer being updated. Get the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control, or find archived data from The Times’s three year reporting effort here.

An updated vaccine is recommended for adults and most children. Statewide, 22% of vaccinations did not specify a home county.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notes: The hospitals map shows the average I.C.U. occupancy at nearby hospitals in the most recent week with data reported. The data is self-reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by individual hospitals. It excludes counts from hospitals operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service. Numbers for hospitalized patients are based on inpatient beds and include I.C.U. beds. Hospitalized Covid-19 patients include both confirmed and suspected Covid-19 patients. The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on cases in May 2023.

How trends have changed in Arlington County

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notes: Weekly county death data prior to Jan. 2021 was not reported by the C.D.C. and is sourced from reporting by The New York Times. Hospitalization data is a weekly average of Covid-19 patients in hospital service areas that intersect with Arlington County. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government.

Historical trends in Arlington County

The data in these charts has been archived and they are no longer being updated.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data in these charts has been archived and they are no longer being updated. Weekly county case data prior to Jan. 2021 was not reported by the C.D.C. and is sourced from reporting by The New York Times. The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on cases in May 2023. Test positivity data is based only on test results reported to the federal government and is a seven-day average.

Note: When asked, enter the 13 digits of your County water utility account number into the required field on the LeadCAST registration page. The account number can be found on paper and emailed account billing notices.

If you are having issues entering your information on LeadCAST, please email waterserviceinventory@arlingtonva.us

Background

Arlington County is conducting an inventory of water service line material in our system following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Revised Lead and Copper Rule. The County’s water system does not have lead pipes and we do not know of any lead service lines. In 1991, the County inspected about 25% of the service lines and did not find any lead service lines. The County never used lead pipes for the County-owned part of the service line. We must conduct the initial inventory to comply with the EPA’s revised rule by October 2024.

We need your help to determine the material of your water service line. The property owner is responsible for the service line between the meter and the home. But, we still need to know the material of your water service line.

Checking the Material of Your Water Service Line

If your home was built in or after Aug. 1, 1978, you DO NOT have a lead water service line.

If your home was built before Aug. 1, 1978, you may have a lead service line on the property side of the meter.

Follow the steps below to check your water service line material. Download or print the flyer for images of the materials and additional information.

Step 1: Get a strong magnet and a key or coin.

Step 2: Find where your service line enters your home. There will likely be a main shut-off valve in a basement, crawl space, or utility closet where the pipe comes into the house.

Step 3: Test the material of the pipe coming from the street: scratch the pipe with the key or coin, then hold the magnet to the pipe and see if it sticks. Compare your results to the options below. Galvanized steel and lead look similar and the magnet test is the easiest way to tell the difference.

Lead

Galvanized Steel

Copper

Brass

Plastic

Step 4: Take a photo at the location where the pipe comes through the exterior wall.

Step 5: Register your account on the LeadCAST platform to upload the photos and results. To register, follow these steps:

If you are having issues entering your information on LeadCAST, please email waterserviceinventory@arlingtonva.us (Updated March 7)

Frequently Asked Questions