A Simple Gesture To Pick Up 1,300 Bags Of Food This Weekend

RESTON, VA — Sixty-one volunteers will be fanning out over Northern Virginia this Saturday with one simple mission — to pick up green bags packed with food donations to help people experiencing food insecurity.

When a driver picks up the food, he or she will leave another green bag, so the donor will always have a green bag in their home to fill. The food will then be taken to four local food pantries — Cornerstones, LINK Against Hunger in Herndon, the South Lakes High School food pantry; and — for distribution.

“The point really is to just help our neighbors who are food insecure,” said Bob Schnapp, who founded A Simple Gesture at the Shoreshim Jewish Community in June 2015. He came up with the idea after reading about a similar initiative in The Wall Street Journal.

Read more at Patch.com

FEBRUARY’S COLLECTION

You did it! The Cool, Green Bag Brigade showed an incredible amount of compassion and responded to our call for extra food, providing almost 23,000pounds of food on Saturday. This is 44 percent more than we have ever delivered! Thank you to the more than 830 wonderful Simple Gesture donors. Our 53 drivers and 43 food sorting volunteers did a splendid job. This collection brings the total amount of food collected since we began to over 220,000 pounds!

THANK YOU

A giant thank you goes to the four Pantry Coordinators who, as usual, did an exemplary job of managing and emptying the cars, which were filled to their roofs with cool, green bags.
Robyn Freedman-Schnapp – Reston Cornerstones Pantry
Andy Gluck – LINK Pantry in Sterling
Joyce Jones – St. Anne’s Episcopal Church Food Pantry
Roberta Gosling – South Lakes High School Pantry
If you would like to be trained as a pantry coordinator, please contact Bob. It only takes 2 hours on collection day.

SIGN-UP YOUR NEIGHBORS
Several donors placed notices about us in their NextDoor newsletters. Because of that, over a two-day period we signed-up over 60 new donors. We now have over 1,000(!) active members. Please help us to expand more by putting a notice in your NextDoor newsletter and tell your friends and neighbors to sign-up at: https://www.coolgreenbag.org/signup/.

HAVE YOUR OFFICE JOIN US
If your office colleagues want to donate on an ongoing basis, they can also join A Simple Gesture. Just contact us for information.

Over 15,000 Pounds of Food Collected!

The Fall/Winter edition of the magazine Around Reston has a great article about A Simple Gesture on page 64.

It is at:

ARCFW18articlelaurencoolgreen

Even in the doldrums of the summer, 700 generous donors in the Cool, Green Bag Brigade provided almost 13,000 pounds of food and toiletries on Saturday. Thanks go to the 47 drivers and their assistants, plus the 27 volunteers who unloaded and sorted the food at the pantries. This month I would like to recognize all of the drivers, who are listed below.

An extra big thank you goes to Bob Park who organized the Shouse Village Swim Team to collect 300 pounds of food for A Simple Gesture. You can see a great article about it in the Reston Connection at:
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2018/aug/01/giving-back-simple-gesture/

These are the 47 wonderful drivers who drove this week:

Michelle Amsbary
Greg Becker
Deb Carstoiu
Jacqueline Cooperman
Celia Dallas
Lilyan Dickerson
Tom Drake
John and Christina Duffy
Francine Freedman
Kte Finkelstein
Alexandra Frith
Amy Fujii
Bethany Gebauer
Sue Granlund
Allan Hoffman
Janna Kirr
Barb Kline
Shashi Kuppa
Tom Lenke
Art Light
Katie Luce
Becky Marsh
Kathy Matay
Carter McGowan
Maura McKnight
Steve McNally
Dan Moldover
Anne Morton
Joy Myers
Vickie Nitschke
Diane Norman
Marsha Peters
Karen Peterson
Kristin Piazza
Margo Pryzby
Roz Rakoff
Nanette Relave
Jacob Rosenblum
Len Rosenblum
Sheila Sandford
Don Schaefer
Sharon Stettner
Chris Temple
Winslow and Brad Wacker
Nicole Wigen
Tom and Jody Wolfe
Gary Wortman

GET A REMINDER TEXT MESSAGE FOR THE NEXT PICK-UP
A Simple Gesture can send you a text message the day before and you can reply to let us know if you will not be able to place a bag out. To enroll, just reply to this email and send us your cellphone number. It’s okay to skip a pickup, but each household that doesn’t let us know in advance impacts our volunteer drivers’ efforts.

Please remember, the next pick-up is on Saturday October 6.

Your generosity was demonstrated on Saturday with the bags overflowing with food and supplies. Keep up the great work!

This article appeared in the Reston Connection on Wednesday August 8, 2018
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2018/aug/01/giving-back-simple-gesture/

Reston — The Shouse Village swim team closet houses all kinds of items, from folded-up bed sheets with spray-painted team slogans to large canopies that provide shade for the swimmers. This summer, the closet also became a storage location for more than 300 pounds of canned goods.

“There is a giant box in the closet that is more than two grown men can pick up right now,” team spirit leader Melissa Carey said.

Saturday, Carey announced the donation total at the swim team end-of-season banquet. Due to the generosity of Shouse families and that of visiting teams, this Vienna team helped stock the shelves of food pantries through A Simple Gesture.

The Shouse Village swim team collected more than 300 pounds of food donations for A Simple Gesture, Reston.

In June 2015, Reston resident Bob Schnapp started A Simple Gesture locally after he came across an article about the nonprofit in California. He began with about 20 members of his congregation, Shoreshim, then expanded by word of mouth to friends and neighbors. The nonprofit seeks to make it simple for local donors to provide food for people in Reston, Herndon and surrounding areas.

“They’re our neighbors. We’ve got extra resources, why can’t we help them?” Schnapp said. “Somebody said to me, ‘Well, people here are very generous, all you have to do is make it easy.’ And this makes it easy.”

The first step to becoming a donor is signing up online on coolgreenbag.org. Donors will then receive a cool, green bag, fill the bag with nonperishable foods and leave it outside their house on designated collection days every two months. Volunteer drivers from A Simple Gesture pick up the donations, leave new green bags for the donors and bring the contributions to various local food pantries.

“It’s striking that in this part of the county, where people seem to have so much, we still have hunger,” A Simple Gesture volunteer Bob Park said. “There’s a simple way to help ease that problem.”

While food pantries receive a lot of donations during the holiday season, contributions tend to go down at this time of year. A good thing about A Simple Gesture, Schnapp said, is that it addresses this lull in donations by providing “a steady stream of food all year round.”

Schnapp said he has found people to be very passionate about alleviating hunger. Now, 900 local donors are signed up with A Simple Gesture in Reston, and since the nonprofit’s start, this community has collected 80 tons of donations. Schnapp said the residents of Reston want to help people who need it.

“A little-known fact is that everybody else in Fairfax County fought having the Embry Rucker shelter in their area. Reston asked for it,” Schnapp said. “And that’s the kind of people that live here.”

As remarkable as it may seem, you have contributed to “A Simple Gesture” delivering over 100,000 pounds of food since its inception just 2-1/2 years ago. Saturday’s haul came from over 600 donors and brought in over 12,000 pounds of food. As you see, filling your single bag six times a year does make a difference.

On Saturday, we had 48 drivers and their assistants and 13 pantry volunteer workers. We offer a big thank you to all of them.

Even though Saturday was April Fool’s Day, the Cool, Green Bag Brigade delivered over 11,000 pounds of food to the Cornerstone’s Reston Pantry and LINK’s Pantry in Herndon.

Over the life of the program we have provided 62,798 pounds. That’s more than 31 tons! Not bad for a project that started in June 2015 with just 20 donors and now has a donor base of over 600.

It’s because of people like you that we can do this. If you have a few hours to help, you can volunteer too. We need people to drive, sort food, sign up more donors and help with administrative tasks on a periodic basis. If you are interested, just drop me an email at Bob@CoolGreenBag.org.

Some of the bags this time went to the St. Anne’s Episcopal Church pantry, who has joined us as a partner by signing up 90 new donors last month. We are also experimenting with supplying the new South Lakes High School food pantry. Roberta Gosling took the initiative to help students who need food over the weekends and this is an effort to see if A Simple Gesture can help them.

On Saturday, there were 38 drivers and 17 pantry volunteer workers. Special thanks go to Mary Beth DiVincenzo and Sue Granlund for preparing 500 new cool, green bags for distribution and to Gail Greenberg, Judy Bleiweis and Debby Greenberg who signed up 24 new donors at Congregation Beth Emeth on Sunday. We offer a big thank you to all of them.

Just to let you know, I am a finalist for “The Best of Reston” for my work with A Simple Gesture. We will find out on Thursday night if I win. Keep your fingers crossed.

A Simple Gesture can expand further when you let your friends and neighbors know about us. By having more donors within the same neighborhood, our drivers can be more efficient. Those who are interested can visit our website at www.CoolGreenBag.org and automatically sign-up. When they do, we will deliver a cool, green bag directly to their house.

Your generosity is truly appreciated. Keep up the good work!

Sincerely,
Bob Schnapp

Today’s finalist in the Individual or Family Service category of the 2017 Cornerstones of Our Community – Best of Reston Awards is Bob Schnapp!

Feeding People with a Simple Gesture and a Cool Green Bag –

Bob Schnapp is living proof that one simple and easy good idea can change lives for the better. After learning about “A Simple Gesture” in 2014, he approached his congregation – Shoreshim of Reston – about starting an effort in Reston. Participants get a “cool, green bag” to fill up every other month with non-perishable food items and leave on the doorstep for a volunteer to pick up and take to the Cornerstones food pantry.

Bob’s efforts began modestly with 20 families and about 400 pounds of food collected on the first run. Since its inception it has grown to include more than 420 donor families, giving over 10,000 pounds of food picked up by 34 drivers and unloaded with the help of 14 food pantry volunteers.

Bob is proof positive that one person, armed with one generous idea and passion can change the world.

The Cornerstones of Our Community – Best of Reston Awards are presented in partnership by Cornerstones and Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce.

You’re Invited! Click here to reserve your seat for the April 6th Awards Gala https://www.cornerstonesva.org/BOR. Check out sponsorship opportunities too!

Thank you to our Presenting Sponsors: Bechtel Corporation and Reston Community Center, and our Leadership Sponsors: Boston Properties (Reston Town Center) and MAXIMUS Foundation!

#BestofReston #HopeforTomorrowToday

Cornerstones of Our Community — Best of Reston Finalists Announced

On Feb. 9, Leidos hosted a Sneak-Peek Reception where 22 finalists were announced as candidates for the Cornerstones of Our Community – 2017 Best of Reston Awards. These people, businesses and organizations were selected from among a pool of nominations, and the chosen honorees will be revealed at the April 6 Awards Gala.

The Cornerstones of Our Community – Best of Reston Awards annual gala and networking event, now in its 26th year, is a partnership between the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce and Cornerstones, honoring those who have demonstrated significant contributions to the greater Reston/Dulles Corridor region through their philanthropy and volunteerism. Proceeds from the celebration benefit the programs and people served by Cornerstones. Sponsorship information for this year’s April 6 Awards Gala can be found at www.cornerstonesva.org/BOR.

One or two 2017 Best of Reston honorees could be selected in each of the following categories and will be announced at the April 6 Gala:

Individual or Family Service Category: The finalists in this category have given selflessly of their time for the causes about which they are passionate, and in so doing make the community stronger. Their volunteer service has spanned decades of service in encouraging children and youth, nurturing them and giving them the confidence and opportunity to grow and pursue their dreams. These candidates have tackled tough challenges such as childhood obesity, hunger and homelessness, and are mentoring adults who want to build their skills and find meaningful work to support their families and community. Their service has enriched the community through the arts and in creating and sustaining natural spaces, and lending their talents to plan for Reston’s future. Through their active civic and community participation they have extended a welcoming hand to immigrants in the spirit of inclusiveness on which this community was founded.

Finalists include: Robert Goudie, Vernon and Kathy Joyner, Bill Keefe, Shreya Papneja, Maggie Parker, Bob Schnapp, Vincent and Gillian Sescoe and Herb Williams-Baffoe.

Civic and Community Engagement, Volunteerism through Nonprofit Service Category: The finalists in this category engage the community by turning beliefs into action, promoting the common good and creating impact in ways that many may not realize. These finalists have touched the lives of individuals and families, empowered children and youth, enriched and beautified our community through celebration of the arts, the joy of giving, and engaging the next generation of leaders.

Finalists include: Herndon Community Leo Club Youth, Omicron Kappa Kappa, The Reston Chorale, Touching Heart, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Women Giving Back.

Large Business, Employee Owned and Small Business Category: The achievements of the business finalists include strengthening advocacy for health and human services, education, veterans and their families, schools, children and future leaders. By partnering with the schools they bring resources to enrich children’s academic experience and open their eyes to new possibilities for the future. The struggles of working families in the community are personal to them, and they have championed causes that address hunger, ensure safety, and create avenues of support for those with differing abilities. Their contributions are building a strong, sustainable community for all.

Large Business category finalists include: JK Moving Services, Navient, Odin, Feldman, and Pittleman, P.C., SOSi.

Employee Owned and Small Business category finalists include: SpeedPro Imaging Northern Virginia, Storycatcher Productions, Synergy Design & Construction, and The CST Group.

At the Sneak- Peek Reception, Leidos announced that it is expanding its commitment to Cornerstones, to Reston and to the greater Dulles Corridor by partnering with Cornerstones as the first Annual Champion Partner. Melissa Koskovich, senior vice president, and director of marketing and communications for Leidos presented Cornerstones with a check of $100,000.

Cornerstones has reached out to 250,000 neighbors in need, helping them overcome tough economic times in an already high cost-of-living region. For more information, visit www.cornerstonesva.org or call 571-323-9555.

Since 1982, the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce has been the catalyst for business growth and entrepreneurship by providing quality programs, education, connections and advocacy for its 650 members and organizations in Western Fairfax and the Dulles Corridor. Learn more at www.RestonChamber.org or call 703-707-9045.

Published in The Connection February 14, 2017