Mayor Justin Wilson was among those on hand Sept. 14 when the nonprofit ALIVE! was formally presented with a refrigerated shipping container from AMX Leasing, the trailer/tractor arm of Abilene Motor Express. The donation was made by Marion Moon, the CEO of Convention & Tradeshow Freight Specialists, and the container will be housed on the property of Alexandria Renew Enterprises.

“Marion came to us and asked, ‘What do you need?’” said ALIVE! executive director Jennifer Ayers. “We replied, ‘refrigeration’ and Marion delivered. Marion saw a need for us to have the right tools to expand our operations to serve more Alexandrians in need.”

The container will provide needed refrigerated space and storage for ALIVE! to better respond to the increased demand for food. Since the pandemic hit in March, ALIVE! has distributed over five times its monthly average of pounds of food. ALIVE! currently serves over 12,000 individuals per month at its food distributions and through its Community Partners’ food pantries.

“We have limited storage space for refrigerated products like produce and dairy,” said Dennis Warnke, ALIVE Food Program Committee Chair. “The demand for those products is massive so having the ability to store these items will help us better serve the community.”

Moon, a Living Legend of Alexandria, is the founder and CEO of Convention Freight Services and operates under the trailer/tractor leasing arm of Abilene Motor Express.

“Abilene has been fortunate during the pandemic,” said Alan K. Jones of Abiline Motors. “So when Marion reached out with the opportunity to help others that have been affected more than us we, were more than happy to help. While this is a large donation, when compared to the good it can do for the Alexandria community, it's truly insignificant.”

ALIVE! provides food, shelter and emergency financial assistance to Alexandrians in need. Founded in 1969, ALIVE! is comprised of 45 faith-based organizations and thousands of volunteers, partners, and supporters. For more information, visit www.alive-inc.org or call 703-837-9321.