It’s dinnertime in a home in Lorton.  Two children are enjoying a laugh while they scoop up spoons of chicken, rice and corn. They don’t always have vegetables at their meal and the oldest child states she likes the corn best. How did they get it? Mom received it the day before in a bag of groceries she was handed at her weekly visit to the food pantry at the Lorton Community Action Center (LCAC).  Without this weekly assistance, tonight’s corn would not be served, and neither would a number of other pantry essentials that make it to her table from week to week. As the children snuggle into …

I came across a statistic recently that really hit home about the issue of hunger in our community. One out of five County students goes hungry in a 30 day period, according to the 2010-11 Fairfax County Youth Survey (for students in sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th grades). The study, which was conducted by the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services, concluded that students who reported going hungry were more likely to be in a single-parent household. It is for this reason that the Lorton Community Action Center, and other non-profits like us in Fairfax County, exist. …

When we try to do things by ourselves, we get burned out and may never get very far. Why do you think Batman works with Robin? Partnerships are critical in community work, and I'm excited about a new partnership between the Lorton Community Action Center and the Workhouse Arts Center. "LCAC Night", our first event, will be held on Saturday, April 14, at the Workhouse Theatre. Please bring a non-perishable item (canned fruit, rice or canned/dried beans) to donate! Drop off area will be located in the lobby of Building W-3. The show, “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is a musical comedy …

(Editor's note: This is the first in a series of weekly columns by Linda Patterson on the needs of local residents experiencing hard times.) The Lorton area is currently 3.5 percent of the population in Fairfax County. Almost 29 percent of Lorton households have a high school diploma or less, versus 22 percent for Fairfax County as a whole. This lack of education in more than a quarter of South County households means less income and struggling to make ends meet. This is where the Lorton Community Action Center steps in - when unexpected expenses stretch an already tight budget.  Since I …