It’s almost Turkey Time but this year it’s chickens at Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). That hasn’t stopped a line of families with bags and rolling carts from lining up down the block to get their weekly supplemental groceries.

This week the choices will include a variety of holiday food including sweet potatoes, green beans, and cans of pumpkin and cranberry sauce. 

Charles Meng, CEO of AFAC, says they have much more selection due to the recent Scouting for Food Drive that donated 32 tons of food to AFAC that had been collected the weekend of Nov. 8.

He adds, “In addition there are a surprising number of culturally important items that have been donated like seaweed, for instance, or enchilada sauce.” He says this provides variety for the client to choose from and AFAC buys the high cost items to supplement the choices.

Meng says they ordered 5,000 chickens this year. He explains that typically they would order turkeys that weighed 12-24 pounds. “At $2.39 a pound it would cost us $165,000 but the chickens were $75,000. It was just too much, and many of the people who come to AFAC really prefer chickens.”

Back inside the warehouse the workers are busy.  Alcy  Montalto, a warehouse assistant, is moving crates of bread and rolls while Tyee Speight, Assistant Director of Operations, is putting together emergency kits for the needy who don’t have the necessary referral from the Department of Human Services making them eligible for weekly groceries. 

A group from Hyundai, a sponsor of AFAC, are bagging beans between meetings at their regional conference.  They have come from North Carolina, Pittsburgh and one from Baltimore who got caught in a traffic backup and felt like she’d driven from Pittsburgh. As part of their community service, they volunteer to help at AFAC when they are in town. 

Meng says the number of families served last week at AFAC was 4,315 — very high — and expected to grow during the holidays and remain high due to the recent government shutdown and pause in SNAP benefits.

Tyee Speight puts together emergency kits of non-perishable items for those who don’t qualify for the regular supplemental grocery distribution.