Being a part of a community means getting support whenever
one needs it. For the people living in Lorton in Fairfax County, Virginia,
being part of the community means helping each other out. The
Lorton Community Action Center was
founded in 1975 and was originally an all-volunteer outreach program which
operated out of a church basement and a local school in the area. The program
was set up in order to help the people living in the underserved southeast
quadrant of the county where many low-income families lived.
The organization’s early years were spent distributing food
to these areas all year round with a special emphasis on the holiday season. In
the 1990s, the LCAC expanded its services to include providing support services
to the people they serve. Aside from their basic needs like food, the LCAC now
also provides emergency assistance, youth programs, ESL classes, as well as
classes in budgeting, nutrition and long-term finance management. Pro-bono
legal services are also provided to those who need them.