Food is a Conversation Starter: A Visit with Food for Neighbors at Bryant High School

Community Foundation staff recently visited Bryant High School and met administrators and representatives from Food for Neighbors, a nonprofit dedicated to ending child hunger across Northern Virginia through community support. This year, Food for Neighbors is a proud recipient of the Lamond Fund grant.

Bryant High School’s Principal, Karen Hertel, and Director of Student Services, Pipi Harrison, are avid supporters of their students and regularly connect with them over something simple: food. Through dialogue, Hertel and Harrison discover and meet each student where they are, identifying barriers and (without hesitation) breaking them down. Often, they find that students deal with much more than a math test or a 10-page essay; many come from families who struggle to put food on the table.

This is where Food for Neighbors steps in. The organization’s mission, “to help middle and high school students access reliable sources of food,” addresses this often-overlooked need. Indeed, The Community Foundation’s 2023 ‘Getting By’ report notes, “In 2021, one in five families (20 percent) in Northern Virginia did not earn enough money to meet their basic needs for shelter, food, medical care, and other essentials.” Yet many people don’t realize that food insecurity occurs all around them—perhaps affecting their neighbors, their children’s friends, or other families they know from sports events.

During our visit to Bryant High, the Food for Neighbors team shared with us how food insecurity can create a sense of shame and guilt in families unable to provide adequate nutrition. Nevertheless, the organization’s values align seamlessly with those of Bryant High School’s administration. Together, their partnership has created a thoughtfully stocked food pantry in the school’s lower hallway, filled with essentials like strollers, heavy jackets, diapers, snacks, food items, and toiletries. As Pipi aptly describes it, “Our work is to interrupt. We interrupt their worries about how they are getting their next meal. We interrupt children’s need to drop out. We interrupt the cycle of shame and guilt by providing these people with their self-worth by showing that we care for them.” 

Leave a Lasting Legacy

The Lamond Fund—established through a bequest to the Permanent Fund for Northern Virginia from Angus Slater Lamond—offered grants to nonprofits, schools, and other programs focused on the education and development of economically disadvantaged children and youth under 18, particularly in the City of Alexandria and Fairfax County’s Route 1 corridor.

Consider your legacy for future generations in our region. Our team is ready to assist you in your planned giving so that your impact may create ripple effects for generations.