Building a community of neighbors, one delivery at a time.
Since early 2020, Welcoming Falls Church under the leadership of Shaun and Surekha Cohen has served neighbors in the local immigrant community with access to fresh, nutritious food. What began as an emergency response during the pandemic has become a monthly rhythm of care that connects families across Falls Church.
This initiative began in partnership with CASA, the Mid-Atlantic region’s foremost immigrant advocacy and service organization. CASA provides critical resources, including employment assistance, legal services, and civic engagement opportunities for Latino and immigrant communities. CASA helped us identify the families most in need of support in early 2020.
Welcoming Falls Church and Shaun and Surekha have managed and sustained this grocery program since 2020, independently since 2022. Falls Church is known for its high levels of economic opportunity, but data reveals stark economic contrasts. In the neighborhood this program serves–Bailey’s Crossroads near the Culmore Community Center—many families face the highest housing costs in the region, working two or more jobs to make ends meet. Many of these neighbors are newcomers, facing significant linguistic and social barriers.
These areas witness a beautiful diversity of cultures but also the highest rates of physical overcrowding in our area. Many nominally single-family homes are rented to multiple families or a mix of individual tenants. By participating in this program, you aren't just "giving to charity"; you are building a bridge across the socioeconomic divides that isolate us from our own neighbors.
We rely entirely on the generosity of neighbors like you to keep this program running on the first Saturday of every month.
We are entering a season of growth. Our vision is to expand this program by inviting a larger cohort of volunteers and local families to participate. By increasing our volunteer base, we can reach more households and deepen the connections between neighbors throughout Falls Church.
If you’ve been looking for a tangible way to make a long-term impact in your own backyard, now is the perfect time to join us. Please consider becoming one of four to six volunteers or families that help us make this program more sustainable and reach more families.Contact us for more information, and thank you for considering how to help.