Spend Yourself® Food Pantry

About the Food Pantry

The Spend Yourself® Food Pantry, also known as Columbia Center for Missions, provides food to hungry people in our community.

Location & Hours of Operation:

Saturdays, 9:30 am-12 noon
Columbia @ Crossroads
3245 Glen Carlyn Rd
Falls Church VA 22041
Directions

 

 


Food Pantry Numbers

  In 2012, through faithful donations of time, money and food items ranging from boxes of macaroni and cheese to canned tomatoes, the Food Pantry:
  • Received 166,074 pounds of food  (2011: 115,709, 44% increase)
  • Served 4,450 households, that is 18,087 individuals. (2011: 3,354 households, a 33% increase)
  • Distributed 19,863 bags of food (2011: 15,739 bags  of food, a 26% increase)
  • Received the help of 624 volunteers, totaling 6,771 volunteer hours! ( in 2011: 51175 volunteer hours,  a 31% increase)


Get Involved

There are various ways you can get involved:
  • DONATE FOOD (SHOP & SHARE)
    Check out our current needs list or our wish list to see what you can donate. Place your donations in the blue bins around the church building.

  • GIVE FINANCIALLY
    Your donations allow the Food Pantry to purchase needed items for discounted prices from the Capital Food Area Bank. Donate now by going to our Online Giving page. Sign up for an account and designate the Columbia Food Pantry for your contribution. 

    Federal Employees
    Federal employees in the National Capital Area can donate to the food pantry through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), an annual fundraising drive conducted by federal employees in their workplace each fall.  To contribute directly to the pantry through the CFC, visit the campaign’s website and designate charity #76306 (listed as Columbia Baptist Church’s Columbia Center for Missions). Or contact Pastor for Missions, Greg Loewer for more information.

  • VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME
    Help is always needed to transport food, shelf items, shop for needed items, and pray with the clients. Volunteers are always needed on Saturdays between 9am-1pm.  To get involved in any of these areas, contact Betsy Pankey  by email at betsypankey@aol.com.

    Information for Unaccompanied Youth Volunteers
    • Youth younger than 15 will contact the Food Pantry Lay Leader, for a brief interview before they may serve without an accompanying adult.
    • A limited number of unaccompanied youth can be accommodated at the pantry each week. 
You can also find us on Facebook.

Story of the week

" Nick is a client who comes, usually, in the last few minutes we're open; Mercedes has a great rapport and tries to be the one to serve him, as happened Saturday.  His prayer request was for his friend, who was very sick.  What a joy when Nick showed up to help with the food drive - and his friend had recovered enough to accompany him!  I love the relationships we are building with our clients and each other.  God is doing amazing things though this ministry" (Betsy Pankey, Spend Yourself® Food Pantry Coordinator- May 13, 2013)

 

"If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2:16–17