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.