NEIGHBORHOOD and COMMUNITY SERVICES

Interfaith Coordination

Common Ground

A Newsletter for the Interfaith Community

Special Edition September 2025

We're just ONE week away from our 4th Annual FCIA Interfaith Resiliency Conference! Don't miss out on an opportunity to:

• learn about best practices for strengthening safety and emergency preparedness

• participate in a hands-on emergency preparedness exercise 

• learn about security assessments for your House of Worship

• connect with County individuals from a variety of Faith traditions

Register here!

Safety and Security

September is National Preparedness Month! 

This year’s National Preparedness Month theme is Preparedness Starts at Home. It is important to have a plan in place so you can be better prepared to help yourself, your community, and your neighbors. We are asking people to take four key actions to prepare for any disaster they may face:

• Know the different types of emergencies that could happen and appropriate responses to stay safe.
• Make a family emergency plan.
• Build an emergency supply kit.
• Get involved in their community by taking action to prepare for emergencies

For more information and to access the entire partner toolkit: CLICK HERE

When preparing at home, it is important to consider the unique needs of those you or your family care for in your home on a daily basis. 

For further guidance on home preparedness for individuals with disabilities: CLICK HERE

For further guidance on home preparedness for individuals with pets: CLICK HERE

Source: National Preparedness Month | Ready.gov

Community Resources

September is Hunger Action Month

Mark Your Calendars: Sat. Sept. 13 to Countywide Feed Donations Did you know that 57,000 Fairfax County residents access SNAP (the food stamp program) for food assistance? The need for food is REAL in Fairfax County. Help us Stuff the Bus to fight hunger! For dates, times and locations: http://bit.ly/FfxStufftheBus

Volunteer Solutions 

Please save the date, Sunday, October 5^th, 2025, for the annual Venture into Volunteering fair coordinated by Volunteer Solutions, at the Springfield Town Center from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., in partnership with The Beacon’s 50+ Expo.

Venture into Volunteering is Northern Virginia’s premier volunteer recruitment fair. If your organization is interested in participating and having a table at this event, please email Jeannine.Purdy@FairfaxCounty.gov and she will add you to the list of possible vendors. She will be emailing registration information to interested parties in July. Please note, there is a fee or in-kind donation to reserve a table.

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Help Support Older Adults – Volunteers Needed

Volunteer Solutions (Dept. of Family Services) is looking for volunteer Grocery Shoppers and Social Visitors to assist older adults in the eastern and southern regions of Fairfax County. Your time and compassion can make a big difference in someone’s life.

To learn more or sign up, visit: bit.ly/DFS-VS

Please share this in newsletters or online and follow Fairfax County Volunteer Solutions on Facebook.

AARP Virginia

Protect Yourself from Frauds and Scams! RSVP here! 

Community Bulletin Board

The following public announcements are for interfaith meetings and activities sponsored by organizations within the community and are not specifically endorsed or sponsored by Fairfax County. These announcements are provided as a public service in the interest of expanding interfaith dialogue and goodwill. If you have an announcement you would like to share, please contact NCSinterfaith@fairfaxcounty.gov

If you are interested in submitting something for the newsletter, please review our guidelines:

• Submissions should be sent to NCSInterfaith@fairfaxcounty.gov
• Submissions should be timely and occurring in the upcoming month. For ongoing needs or services, we reserve the right to hold for future issues.
• All submissions should have no more than a 3-line description of the event and include a link for more information or to register.
• The event must be open to the entire community.
• Proselytizing events/activities will not be posted.
• Events must be apolitical. Legislative lobbying efforts will not be posted.
• Fundraisers or events soliciting financial contributions will not be posted.
• Events must be geared to promoting understanding, goodwill, community service or fulfilling a defined need in helping strengthen Fairfax County residents and communities.

If you have any questions, please email NCSInterfaith@fairfaxcounty.gov.