NWFCU Foundation Makes an Impact for Local Students Facing Food Insecurity

Contributed by Northwest Federal Credit Union Foundation

Thompson Hospitality presents a "Round Up" check to NWFCU Foundation staff. L to R: Meredith Hovan, Taralyn Tharp Kohler, Alex Brown, Caroline Patrickis. Photo contributed by NWFCU

More than one-third (about 34%) of Fairfax County students qualify for free and reduced-price meals, underscoring the urgent need for food assistance beyond the classroom. To help bridge this gap, Northwest Federal Credit Union (NWFCU) partnered with Giant Food and Thompson Hospitality to launch a powerful initiative aimed at combating food insecurity.

Each quarter, the NWFCU Foundation selects a pressing community need to address. Recently, they focused on food insecurity—and the results speak volumes: 44,764 food items were collected to support the student weekend meal bag program, which ensures children have access to nutritious meals when school is not in session. Northwest employees and members collected food and made monetary donations to purchase additional supplies.

“At Northwest Federal Credit Union, we believe in tackling real challenges that affect our community,” said CEO Jeff Bentley. “Food insecurity is a pressing issue, and seeing the collaboration of our employees, members, and partners to collect over 44,000 food items was truly inspiring. Every contribution has made a difference in the lives of students who rely on these meal bags to get through the weekend.”

Thompson Hospitality played a key role by introducing a “Round Up” feature at its restaurants, allowing guests to round up their bills to the nearest dollar for donations. More than 25,000 patrons participated, raising over $7,442. With an average donation of just 30 cents per transaction, the success of the initiative showed how small contributions can drive big change.

“Giving back is at the core of Thompson Hospitality’s mission,” said CEO Alex Berentzen. “We are honored to support the NWFCU Foundation’s drive and help combat food insecurity in Fairfax County.”

Giant Food also stepped up, welcoming NWFCU employees to collect food donations at their North Point Village Center location in Reston and hosting multiple collection drives. Their generosity extended further with a $2,000 gift card donation, enabling the purchase of even more food for students in need.

Thanks to these collaborative efforts, a total of 3,306 weekend meal bags were assembled, providing essential nutrition to students in 18 schools and food pantries across the community.

The drive culminated in a Day of Service, with Northwest employees assembling meal bags filled with items like individual applesauce, shelf-stable milk, beef jerky, rice and bean packages, and granola bars. Local beneficiaries included Helping Hungry Kids, South Lakes Food Pantry, Laurel Learning Center; Aldrin, Armstrong, Clearview, Coates, Dogwood, Forest Edge, Hunters Woods and Terraset elementary schools.

Reflecting on the impact of the initiative, Taralyn Kohler, Vice President of the NWFCU Foundation, said, “The NWFCU Foundation is committed to ensuring that children in our community don’t have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. This initiative proves that when we work together, we can create real, lasting change.”

To learn more about the Northwest Federal Credit Union Foundation or to get involved, visit www.nwfcufoundation.org.