During the pandemic, people from all walks of life have been struggling each and every day.
One North Virginia family decided to go above and beyond for those in need by placing free pop-up food pantries around the city. We are truly inspired by their resolve to make a change in their own community.
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It all started with just one box for those in need.
After hearing that many people were in need of food during the pandemic, the Marchand family, consisting of parents Amber and Sterling, and their three kids, decided to put a box in front of their home with an assortment of food for anyone in need.
That box quickly filled up with an abundance of nonperishables, and the family knew their efforts needed to further.
“We realized that as much as a need was there, there was also a desire to help,” Amber told Good Morning America . “We started to reach out to local nonprofits to donate the food and create relationships.”
Before long, they were working with non-profits.
After their first box proved such a huge success with neighbors filling it to the brim with donations, this family decided to expand their vision.
They reached out to non-profits in an effort to reach more people in need, and it paid off. They began by partnering with Martha’s Table in Washington, D.C. to provide 250 sandwiches for those who were hungry. Before long, the Marchand family had enough supporters to make 1,500 sandwiches every week for the non-profit.
The Marchands went even further by founding the Be The Good Project.
After successfully helping so many people, the family decided to launch their own project to help even more. The Be The Good Project is led by Amber and Sterling, and is dedicated to fighting food insecurity.
They serve communities Virginia and Washington D.C. while also partnering with other non-profits and working to supply food pantries.
“It has gone from a black box we picked up at a hardware store [for food donations], to we have delivered more than 30,000 pounds of food in less than a year and more than 48,000 sandwiches to Martha’s Table,” Amber told GMA. “The numbers, even to us, they still sound astounding.”
They’ve even been installing little pop-up food pantries.
Inspired by the little book libraries that show up in various cities, the Marchand clan decided to set up little food pantries around the city of Alexandria.
Their ethos is all about people taking what they need and leaving what they can. We truly hope that others are inspired to follow this families example of kindness.
Let us know what you think of this story in the comments and if you feel inspired by this family’s mission to help others. For more information about their charity, you can visit the official Be The Good Project website .
h/t: Good Morning America
