Vienna Aquatic Club Helping Families in Need

For many families, summertime can be particularly difficult financially, leaving children who normally receive free school breakfasts and lunches, without a meal.

Working in partnership with Our Daily Bread, Vienna Aquatic Club Swim Team wants to help and is collecting donations for families in need.  

According to program coordinator Beth Eachus, the swim team's program is an extension of Marshall Elementary School's current project, Food4Thought.  During the school year, they send home backpacks of food each weekend with local children whom have been identified by the FCPS social worker as children in need or families at risk.

Eachus said the Marshall Elementary school social worker explained there are children in need of food donations in the summer months when they do not receive a free school breakfast and lunch.  

"County and local pantries do have some measures in place but admittedly some families fall through the cracks," Eachus said.

Vienna Aquatic has expanded their operation to invite other swim teams to join the effort and they are collecting donations at swim team events.  

"We have also reached out to other elementary schools in Vienna to see if they too have families within their community that also may be at risk and in need of food and cleaning supplies. We currently have approximately 40 families in need that have been identified," Eachus said.

The swim teams are holding themed collections each week and the swimmers are creating the "marketing pieces", donating items, boxing donations and helping distribute them.

"I would very much like to get the word out there as I think we can get further support from the community. As generous as our swimmers and their families are, forty families is big number to help," Eachus said.  

Vienna Aquatic's plan for donations is as follows:

Collection #1 "Keep It Clean" June 19 - June 24
Items - cleaning products and personal hygiene
Laundry detergent, Toilet paper, Toothpaste, Tooth brushes, and Shampoo
Collection #2 "Party Time" June 25 - July 3
Items - dessert, drinks, snacks
Dessert Items: Jell-O, Pudding, Pie fillings, or Cake/Cookie/Brownie mixes, Packaged cookies
Drinks: Boxed (shelf stable) Milk, Powdered drink mixes, Juice
Snacks: Crackers, Pretzels, Popcorn, Nuts, Granola bars, Rice Krispy Treats, or similar items
Collection #3 July 4th Money Jars out for donations from 4th of July Vienna Relays teams
Collection #4 "Time for Breakfast" July 5 - July 11
Items - breakfast meal staples
Syrup, boxes of Bisquick, pancake mix, muffin mix, oatmeal, cereal, Poptarts, boxed milk, Pam cooking spray
Collection #5 "Let's Cook" July 12 - 24
Items - meal staples
Sugar, Flour, Oil, Pasta, Pasta sauces, Pizza Kits or similar Pre-prepared items, Parmesan cheese, Canned Chicken/Meat, Complete Chicken/Hamburger Helper, Rice/Mashed potatoes, Canned chili or stew, Canned fruit,Canned tomato products
Collection #6 Money Jars out during Divisionals (July 27)
All change and bills will go towards Giant and Safeway giftcards.

For more information, contact Beth Eachus at betheachus@yahoo.com.